


the enemy of my enemy

by everyotherfreckle



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, F/M, Force-Sensitive Finn, but like not a /super/ important character, this is an arranged marriage au y'all!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-07-10 07:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6973936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everyotherfreckle/pseuds/everyotherfreckle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>there's a plan in place to ensure peace in the galaxy. rey doesn't like it one bit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. not with a bang but with a proposal

It seems that the war won't end in an epic battle or an even more epic surrender, but in a mere conversation.

Rey thinks it's borderline insulting.

They've fought for so many years and have lost so much - how can the General just concede the moment Snoke asks for peace? She highly doubts that's even what he wants. In fact, she'd be willing to bet that he only wants the Resistance to stop attacking them long enough for him to train a new apprentice now that -

Rey squeezes her eyes shut at the thought she didn't allow herself to finish. Almost the entire base - pilots, soldiers, officers and anyone else that can call themselves a member of the Resistance - are camped outside of the General's office waiting to hear the verdict.

She happens to be the exception, though.

While they're all biting their nails in anticipation of a truce, she's sitting by the lake she found on the planet she can't seem to remember the name of after abruptly running from the battlefield once the ceasefire was called. Master Luke would be most disappointed in the way she's allowed herself to run ragged with emotions, not once bothering to even attempt to control them. She seems to be fine now. Well. About as fine as she can be, all things considered.

When she's had enough of staring aimlessly at the placid body of water, Rey crawls on her hands and knees over to where the soft brown dirt meets the edge of the water. She takes one last look at her hands. There's an absurd amount of dirt underneath her fingernails and her skin is stained with blood - _his_ blood - which isn't surprising. There was a lot of it.

Rey furiously dips her hands into the water, scrubbing angrily until the backs of her hands feel raw and her palms burn. Her fingertips are still tinged with red.

"Rey," Poe's commanding voice is the only thing that stops her from going in again and possibly doing irreparable damage to the skin of her hands. "They're done."

She sniffs, eyes watering for some inexplicable reason.

"And?" Her voice is rough, probably from all the screaming she did.

"General wants to see you."

Rey turns to face him and immediately regrets it. They're having what could be considered a pointless conversation yet he's looking at her like some hero. He's standing tall, chest puffed out with an air of respect she does not deserve.

She wordlessly stands up, breezes by him and makes her way towards the General's office.

When she walks past the hoards of Resistance members, they all whisper. Rey doesn't need to listen hard to know what they're saying.

 _"She killed him."_ She hears someone she vaguely remembers to be technician of some sort say as she passes. _"They outta erect a statue of that girl."_

Rey ignores the comment, lest she completely lose it in front of all of these people.

The General doesn't look at her when she enters her office and it hurts worse than any injury she's currently nursing. The only thing that takes her mind off of it is the sudden uneasiness she feels under Snoke's gaze. It's something between admiration and hatred and she wishes he'd stop looking at her all together.

"I'll keep this short," General Organa says, still refusing to look at her. "A peace agreement has been reached but there's something that must take place to ensure both sides maintain this peace."

They're going to execute her. It makes sense. She's hurt both Snoke and the General with what she's done. Her death would seemingly make them both happy. Or at least content.

"We wish to marry our respective forces, in the most literal sense." Snoke says, hands folding over one another.

And Rey...has no idea what that means.

"Peace will not be easy to achieve given the bad blood between our two sides but if the people see someone they respect playing nice with the former enemy - "

It's then Rey catches on to what's being proposed.

"A literal marriage." She mutters before clearing her throat to speak again. "Someone the Resistance respects to someone the Order respects. So basically me and General Hux."

How General Hux managed to make it through the battle unscathed is a mystery to her. And now she almost wishes he hadn't since it means she has to marry him now.

Snoke laughs, deep and unsettling. "Absolutely not. My men _fear_ Hux, not respect him. They respect a boy called FN-2187. A Stormtrooper. The best and brightest one we've got."

A Stormtrooper? They want her to marry a damn _Stormtrooper_? She'd rather take the execution.

"Ma'am," Rey steps in the General's direction. "I don't understand how me marrying a Stormtrooper will fix anything. They represent everything we've been fighting against. If I marry one there's a good chance everyone outside that door will turn on me."

The General laughs humorlessly. "There's no chance they would turn on you. In their eyes you single handedly ended this war with what you did. You can do no wrong to them. Not anymore."

Rey doesn't miss the way she seems to say the words with contempt. Everyone outside her office may respect Rey, but clearly she doesn't. Not fully, at least.

"Besides," Snoke drawls out. "It isn't really up for discussion. Either do this or the war continues. Swallow your immense amount of pride and do this one thing or many more men and women will die because of it."

While she really doesn't want to marry a Stormtrooper, she also can't fight anymore. She can't continue to wake up - if she even sleeps at all - and take part in what seems a futile battle. If this is the price she has to pay to finally stop fighting and to keep anyone else from dying, well. She guesses she'll have to do it.

-

Rey, for lack of a better word, storms into Master Luke's quarters. He's predictably meditating as if a major war hasn't just been ended and she hasn't been promised to a Stormtrooper.

"You're angry." He says and Rey wants to hit him. She's dangerously unbalanced right now. "You need to calm yourself - "

"Did you know about this?" She all but spits out at him. He nods, back still facing her. "Turn and face me, _father_."

She swore to herself she would never do that to him, never play that particular card, but she's sort of spiraling at the moment.

He sighs and glances over his shoulder."It's what's best for the galaxy, Rey. Peace will be achieved this way."

"By me marrying their little golden boy solider? You are aware he will _kill_ me the first chance he gets, right?" Because she's thought about it a lot and she's certain that's Snoke's endgame here.

"He won't. There's more light in him than Snoke realizes." And, _force_ , Rey really doesn't want to hear his light side/dark side spiel right now. "And a lot more dark in you right now than _you_ realize."

Rey lets out a long breath because he's right. She's felt it, that pull to the dark side. She's been feeling it ever since she plunged her lightsaber into Kylo Ren's heart.

While everyone seems to want to throw flowers at her feet because of it, Rey's ashamed she did it. She's ashamed she gave in to the call of the dark side and killed her own cousin. Her family. She just wanted it all to be over so bad - no explanation would be able to justify what she did.

Luke stands up and finally faces her. Unlike his sister, he doesn't seem angry or disappointed with her. It's something more akin to sympathetic.

"No amount of self pity in this galaxy will change what you did. You made a choice and now you must live with it. In time, you'll make your peace with it. Leia will too." And Rey isn't sure just how accurate that prediction is. She killed the woman's _son_. Misguided or not he was still her child. Rey wouldn't blame her if she never forgave her. "As for the marriage, sometimes we must do the things we don't want in order to get the results we do."

She appreciates his words, really she does, but there's a small part of her that was hoping for Luke, her father and not Luke, her master. She'll take what she can get, though.

"Besides," he surprises her by enveloping her in a hug. "I wouldn't let them put you in a situation that I didn't feel was safe."

Rey relaxes into his hold, feeling the tiniest bit better about things. Yes, the situation is still unfavorable but knowing that Luke feels like she won't be in any danger makes her feel better. Plus he said the boy has some light in him so -

"Wait," she pulls back, eyebrows coming together in confusion. "You said there was light in this Stormtrooper guy. Is he - "

Luke smiles, small and knowing. "Force sensitive? Yes. I believe Snoke knows it as well, which is why I'm glad he'll be around you and not him. We don't need Snoke seducing anyone else to the Dark Side."

That's quite curious. Rey wouldn't think Snoke would just willingly hand over this boy given he's Force sensitive. He's allowing a possible potential apprentice to marry someone who's strong with the Light. This whole thing feels off to her.

"You should go." Luke says suddenly. "The longer you stay here the more time you'll have to dwell on your negative feelings toward the arrangement. Go and meet the boy with an open mind and you might find him tolerable."

Rey scoffs because, she highly doubts  _that_.

Luke presses a kiss to the top of her head before letting her go. "Open mind, Rey."

"I will definitely try." She nods and turns to leave.

And she'll try to keep an open mind, but she doesn't know if she'll succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i don't know how many chapters this'll be but i just got this plot bunny one day and it would not leave me alone. so basically if at some point i abandon this story and never update it feel free to come yell at me until i do!!
> 
> also kudos/comments are always appreciated! thanks for reading!


	2. here comes your man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rey meets fn-2187. a wedding takes place. a realization is made.

The man she's supposed to marry is not at all what she expects.

It may be silly, but Rey fully assumed when she met him he'd be wearing his Stormtrooper armor. Instead, he's dressed rather normally. He's wearing a soft white shirt and a pair of tan pants and is slightly smiling at her when she enters the room.

"Hello." He extends his hand towards her, managing a full tight-lipped smile. It would be sweet if he wasn't, you know, the enemy. "I'm FN-2187."

Rey pointedly ignores his hand and sighs. "Yeah, I'm not going to call you that."

He frowns, slowly taking his hand back. "But it's my name."

"It's a bunch of numbers." She counters and thinks for a moment. "How about Finn? It's like FN-whatever, only it's an actual name."

He considers it before shrugging. "Sure. If it makes you more comfortable, you can call me Finn." He looks at her, expectantly. "You didn't tell me your name."

"Rey." She gives him the most forced smile she can muster. It's childish to be acting this way towards him but she can't help it. He's part of the reason so many of her comrades are dead.

"So," he starts, eyes full of wonder as he looks at her. "This is kind of awkward."

Rey rolls her eyes because _of course_ it's awkward. They're meant to play nice and get married even though she hates him and he - well. She can't quite figure out how he feels about her yet.

There's a chair in the room they're in so she moves to sit down. "You sure do smile a lot."

She means for that to be a silent thought but the words end up tumbling out. Finn laughs and it's strange. She was sure Stormtroopers were supposed to be all serious and stoic and pretty much the opposite of everything he's been so far.

"I have a lot to smile about." He says simply, moving to occupy the seat in front of her.

Rey quirks an eyebrow. "You've just been forced into a marriage with a member of the organization that exists only to destroy you. Which part of that is making you smile?"

Finn shrugs, hands folding together in his lap. "Being a Stormtrooper, I made peace with the fact that I would never have a life. My only purpose was to serve the Order and die for them, if necessary. But now with this whole arrangement, Snoke and your General have given me the chance to actually be a real person. I get to be married and live in a house and - " he ducks his head sheepishly. "I know it's stupid but it's the reason I keep smiling. Sorry."

Luke was right. There is so much light in this boy it's almost comical to think he's the Order's best Trooper. Then again, there was light in Kylo Ren at one point as well.

Before Rey can respond - what does one even say to a confession like _that_? - the door slides open and in walks General Organa and Snoke. Both she and Finn stand and their respective generals wave for them to sit.

"I see you've finally met." Snoke grins and it makes Rey's skin crawl. He turns his attention towards her. "He's quite the specimen, isn't he? I hope he's to your liking, physically speaking. I know all you Jedi are repressed but surely even you have certain preferences."

Rey finds herself suddenly upset with the way Snoke's referring to Finn as if he isn't sitting two feet away from him, as if he isn't an actual person. She's even more upset that Finn doesn't seem a bit bothered by it; almost like he's used to being spoken about in that way.

"I'm not a Jedi." She quips. For the first time in what feels like forever, General Organa looks at her, surprised. Rey feels the need to amend her statement. "I mean I am, just not the kind of Jedi you're accustom to. We're a bit different now."

Snoke chuckles. "You're right. I believe the Jedi I'm familiar with had a code about murdering their enemies. I guess the new generation does not."

And Rey hates how deeply his words affect her.

The General clears her throat, meaning to grab the attention in the room. Snoke's gaze is still firmly on Rey. "We didn't come here to verbally spar with one another, we came to let you know the ceremony will be taking place this evening."

Rey's head is spinning. Already? That's way sooner than she anticipated.

"Sir, that's rather soon, don't you think?" Finn says, taking the words right out of her mouth. "The fighting has only just ended today."

Snoke tilts his head and raises a nonexistent eyebrow. "Five minutes alone with this one and you're already questioning your superiors? Has she already gotten her claws into you?"

Rey bolts up from her seat, her pulse racing. " _You_ agreed to this Union. _You_ wanted this to happen. If you're that concerned about your precious prized Stormtrooper being around me then perhaps we should call all of this off. Otherwise, you might want to mind your tongue."

It's downright stupid of her to snap at Snoke, especially when the talks of peace are still so new and fragile, but she doesn't think she would be able to stand another one of his sly digs.

The room is silent, save for the squeak Finn's chair makes when he moves in it. Rey flinches slightly when she feels his hand wrap around her forearm. She can't tell if it's his way of telling her to calm down or his way of trying to save her from Snoke's wrath, but either way, she wishes he wouldn't touch her.

Snoke nods, almost seeming pleased at her outburst and leaves the room without a word. General Organa is all but staring daggers at her.

" _You_ need to mind your temper. This won't work if you don't." She looks between both her and Finn. "Report to my office at nineteen-hundred hours so we can start the ceremony."

Finn waits until they're alone again to speak. His hand is still gripping her arm. "He likes riling you up. Ever since you did what you did to Kylo, he thinks there isn't a more opportune time to seduce you to the Dark Side."

Rey wonders why he would tell her that. Her knowing that information is detrimental to the Order's cause, so it's strange he would so willingly say it.

She just looks down at his hand around her arm and frowns. "Let go of me, please."

He does as she asks, muttering a string of apologies she can barely understand.

Rey can't totally be sure of what Snoke's true motives behind this marriage are, but what she is sure of is that Finn is quite the peculiar choice for her partner.

-

The General visits her an hour before she's to marry Finn. It's a shock, to say the least. Rey was sure she was no longer in the General's good graces.

"General," Rey stands when she enters the room and earns a disapproving glance from the older woman. It's a look Rey's seen before and she knows exactly what it means. "I mean _Leia_."

She smiles, soft and pained. "I just got through speaking with Luke and," she sighs. "I don't hate you, Rey. I want you to know that."

It should feel good to hear those words but it only makes Rey feel worse. She killed the woman's son and yet she doesn't feel any ill will towards her? Leia is so very good and Rey isn't deserving of her kindness.

"I'm sorry," Rey chokes, suddenly overcome by the flood of emotions she's been trying so hard to contain. "Leia, I am so sorry. I never meant to - I was just so tired and I wanted this all to be over so badly and something kept telling me I could end it all by ending him and - I was weak to let the Dark Side influence me like that. I failed everyone."

"I know that we're taught to believe there is only one side of the Force influencing us at any given time, but sometimes I think it isn't that simple. Sometimes I think certain situations are a lot more complicated than just light or dark." Leia rests a hand on Rey's shoulder and it's immensely calming. "You are a good person, Rey. What you did isn't going to change that."

Rey wishes she could believe that - in fact, Leia's probably being completely honest with her - but her choice to kill Kylo still doesn't sit right with her. She has a feeling it'll be some time before she's even slightly at peace with it.

"I also wanted to tell you some things about your and FN-2187's marriage." Leia says, sounding more like a General than an aunt now.

Right. For a split second she forgot all about that.

"I actually call him Finn." Rey shrugs. "Bit easier to say than FN-2187."

Leia smirks slightly. "Well after you and _Finn_ are wed, the two of you will be presented to both forces. Sort of like a show of unity."

Rey can think of about a million different ways that could go wrong but she holds her tongue. She's mouthed off enough for one day.

"Is this just a marriage in principle?" It's been something she's wanted to ask for a while now. "I mean he and I will be husband and wife but I'll still live with Luke and he'll live...wherever it is he lives, right?"

"Snoke wants this to be as legitimate as possible so that includes living together, making appearances, etcetera. He wants the two of you to be the face of the new peaceful Republic."

"And what do you want?"

Leia pauses for a moment before answering. "I want this war to be over. I want everyone on this base to be able to live their lives as normally as possible. You included."

"There is nothing normal about an arranged marriage." Rey laughs humorlessly.

"FN - _Finn_ is actually a gentle young man. Luke says there a lot of light in him and I can sense it too." Leia approaches her, pulling her into a hug. "You'll be fine, Rey. If anyone can do this, it's you."

And, yes, that's probably true, but she shouldn't have to do this. There should be another way to go about this, but she supposes this is just one more sacrifice she'll make for the Resistance. Hopefully it'll be the last.

-

They get married without any huge fuss. Snoke and the General are there, of course, to oversee things. Luke was allowed to be there as well. So there were just three people - not including Finn - present for the second worst moment of Rey's life. Fantastic.

After the official documents are signed, the three of them leave the room, presumably to further cement what their new union means for the Resistance and the First Order.

Rey's kind of caught up in her own thoughts - she just married a Stormtrooper; is _this_ what hundreds of Resistance fighters died for? - when she feels a tap on her shoulder. Finn's looking at her with those big bright eyes of his and she's finding it increasingly difficult to be irritated with him.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but," he wrings his hands nervously, his bottom lip wedging between his teeth. "You look nice. I, um, like your bun thingys."

Second worst moment of her life or not, Rey did actually manage to show up looking presentable. She redid her trio of buns and wore the dress - an actual _dress_ \- Leia had left for her earlier in the day. She can't deny it feels kind of nice that Finn appreciates the effort.

"Why wouldn't you be allowed to say that?" She asks, a little amused by him.

"Well I noticed sometimes when I'm talking to you that you look ready to punch me so I didn't wanna press my luck just then."

Yeah, it's _really_ hard to stay irritated with him.

She manages a small smile for him. "Thank you for the compliment."

He grins, looking the most proud of himself. "You're welcome."

The only positive thing about this marriage - and she's been trying very hard to find one - is that at least Finn's a decent human being. Rey knows the First Order is full of vile creatures that would act a lot less kindly towards her than he has. So far he's proven to not at all be horrible, so at least there's that.

"Boy, I'm hungry." Finn announces, his hand giving his stomach a couple of pats. Rey has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. "Are you hungry?"

She nods, afraid if she speaks she'll smile and then he'll smile because she's smiling and they'll both just end up smiling at each other for an absurd amount of time and she will not let that happen. He's still the enemy here.

"If you aren't too opposed to it, I know there's a kitchen on Snoke's personal ship. I can go get us something, if you'd like?"

"That's quite alright," she says, more of a reflex than anything. She won't be taking _anything_ from Snoke. "You go ahead, though. I can find something for myself."

Finn rocks back on his heels, looking slightly disappointed. "Do you, um, wanna eat together then? Since we're married now we might as well, right?"

Rey wants to say no, wants to just go into her temporary quarters to eat alone and wallow in a little self-pity, but she can hear Luke's voice in her head reminding her to keep an open mind. And, really, being in Finn's company isn't that bad. She's sure she can stand it for a meal.

"Alright, sure. I'll meet you back here in fifteen?"

Finn nods in agreement before scurrying off. Rey waits until she senses that he's far away enough before leaving the room herself. She plans on quietly going to the makeshift mess hall to pick up a sandwich, but of course the galaxy decides to throw her plans off course, yet again.

She doesn't mean to groan as loudly as she does when she sees Poe, but he's wearing his ' _questioning face_ ' and she really doesn't have the time for this.

"Tell me it isn't true." He starts, not even bothering for pleasantries. "Tell me you didn't marry one of _them_."

"Hello to you too, Poe." Rey gibes, moving past him to the large cooler full of various meals for the Resistance members.

Poe falls into step beside her, hands frantically moving in front of him as he speaks. "At first I didn't believe it when I heard it but then I saw the guy and - " when he stops speaking, she turns to him, following his line of sight. He's spotted the black band adorning the third finger of her left hand. "It _is_ true. Gods, Rey, how could you do this?"

"Well I wasn't given very many options. It was either marry him or give up our one chance at peace. I chose peace."

"You chose wrong." He chides, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper due to the presence of a few pilots looking to grab an early dinner. "We could've kept fighting and we would've won! I mean since you killed Kylo - "

Rey squeezes her eyes shut, trying her very best to still the small but violent storm that's been brewing in her since she did what she did to Kylo. "Poe, I saw a chance to end the bloodshed and I took it. I'm sorry if you don't agree with it, but you're not the one who has to be married to him. So I would appreciate it if you just cut me a little slack here."

Poe's demeanor softens. She knows he isn't upset with her, just at the situation. She understands his frustration but that doesn't mean she's okay with standing there and letting him take it out on her.

"I'm sorry, I just - I don't want you to get hurt. The guy's a _Stormtrooper_. They can't be trusted."

"And I'm sure his mates are saying the same thing to him about us. Besides," she says, picking a sandwich out of the cooler. "If he tries anything, I can more than handle myself."

He flashes her a signature Poe Dameron grin and she returns the gesture. His concern is sweet, but she'll be fine. She always is.

-

When Rey returns to the small meeting room, Finn hasn't come back yet. She sits at the table, contemplating whether or not she should wait for him to arrive to start eating - would it be rude to start without him? - when she realizes she doesn't care. He's still a member of the First Order. She's not going to sit there hungry just to be polite to him.

She's barely two bites into her sandwich when he finally comes bumbling into the room, arms  _full_ of food.

"Guess who hit the jackpot!" He singsongs, a stupid grin on his face. Gosh, he's so... _smiley_. "And don't worry, this isn't all for me."

Along with a few different types of fruit, a container full of delicious smelling meat and a medium-sized jug of a pink colored beverage, Finn's also managed to bring in an entire cake. It's small and circular and is decorated with a delicate ring of pink frosting and Rey assumes it's meant to be some sort of gift for their marriage.

Rey knows she said she wouldn't take anything from Snoke, but _technically_ the food is coming from Finn and they  _are_ married, after all. She's allowed to take things from her husband. It's fine.

She must be staring because Finn waves a hand in front of her face, a smile still playing on his lips. "You can have whatever you'd like, you know. I won't tell your Resistance friends that you ate First Order food. Your secret is safe with me."

That comment would have seemed insulting coming from anyone else, but coming from Finn, Rey actually finds herself fighting a smile.

"As long as you promise not to tell," she nods toward the cake. "I'll take a slice of that, please."

Finn obliges, carefully cutting her a perfect-sized piece of cake. She takes a bite and  _hates_  how good it tastes.

It's sort of strange - she decides to be nice to him by not mentioning it - but Rey definitely notices the way Finn keeps glancing at her during the duration of their meal. She can tell he's got something on his mind, something he wants to say but refuses to, so she does him the favor of bringing it up first.

"Finn," he looks up, mouthful of cake. "Go ahead and say whatever it is you've been holding in since we sat down."

"Promise not to hit me if I do?" Rey raises an eyebrow because she honestly cannot make that promise. He takes a breath and sets his fork down. "We didn't kiss."

Rey nearly chokes on the pink colored beverage he brought, because _what_?

"It's no big deal, really!" He says quickly. "I just know when people get married they kiss and we didn't and I just thought I should point that out."

She's almost afraid to ask but - "Did you - did you actually _want_ to kiss?"

Finn sits there, mouth gaping with no actual words coming out. He looks like a fish that's struggling to breathe. It's somewhere between terrifying and...cute? Wait, no that can't be it. Stormtroopers _can't_  be cute.

"You know what? Forget I even asked that question. Let's just talk about something else." Rey suggests and Finn looks immensely grateful. And a lot less like a fish.

He swallows, face scrunching up as he searches for a new conversation topic. His eyes light up when he seemingly figures out what to say.

"This may sound like a weird question, but what's it like to have the Force?" This time it's Rey's turn to scrunch her face. She doesn't understand why he would ask that. He  _has_ the Force. Unless...

Rey stands up from her chair, running a hand over her hair. "I'm sorry to have to end our little dinner short, but I have to go do something before we're presented to everyone later."

Finn looks confused but nods all the same. "Uh, okay. In that case I'll see you then."

Rey waves a goodbye before heading to Luke's quarters.

He doesn't know. She can't believe he doesn't know. Nearly everyone around Finn can literally _feel_ how strong he is with the Force and the idiot doesn't even know.

Well. That makes things _quite_ interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh i feel like this one was everywhere. if you feel the same, feel free to hurl insults/complaints/etc. at me.
> 
> thanks for reading y'all!


	3. you and me, we'll call a truce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fists fly and rey and finn take off.

"Finn doesn't know he has the Force."

"Who is _Finn_?"

Rey huffs and walks over to Luke, plopping down on the floor in front of him. She crosses her legs, mimicking his position.

"That's what I call FN-2187 now. He's an actual person so he deserves an actual name." Luke just hums in response. "But to bring attention back to my original statement, he doesn't know he has the Force."

Luke cracks a smirk. "You didn't know you had it either until you grabbed my lightsaber."

While Rey remembers that moment vividly, surely it can't be the same for Finn. She highly doubts Snoke - or Kylo for that matter - would allow someone who's Force sensitive to just walk amongst them without at least telling them of their capabilities.

"Sometimes the Force lies dormant in a person and needs to be woken up." Luke places his hand on Rey's knee and gives a gentle squeeze. He doesn't have to say it. She knows what he's thinking.

"What, you want _me_ to awaken him?" He nods. "I don't even know the first step to going about doing that."

"Lucky for you, you'll have plenty of time to figure that out." He stands up, walking over to the small tea pot he kept on a nearby table. "Seeing as how the galaxy is no longer in dire need of Jedis or even those who are just force sensitive and have light in them, there's no rush. I'm sure you and Finn will figure it out in due time."

Before Rey can ask any more questions, there's a commotion in the hall that draws both of their attentions. She jumps to her feet, fingers twitching above the spot her lightsaber _would be_ hanging off of her belt if she weren't still in that damn dress.

Luke breezes past her, electing to go out and investigate first. Rey stays close behind, a familiar feeling of dread bubbling in her. They're supposed to have peace now, but she can't shake this terrible feeling that whatever they're about to stumble upon is decidedly not peaceful.

Unfortunately, she's right.

All Rey sees in the tangle of bodies on the floor are the recognizable colors of a Resistance-ordered pilot's jacket and and even more recognizable dark blue coat.

"Finn!" Rey runs past Luke and heads straight for her husband. He's mounted on top of her fellow Resistance fighter, struggling to keep him from flipping the two of them over.

It's barely a second before Luke comes over to assist. He helps Rey pull Finn off of the young man and then kneels down to attend to him given that he looks the worse of the two.

Finn still looks a bit dazed and it's a look Rey knows all too well. He's somewhere inside of his own head, lost in the intoxicating sense of rage.

"Hey, Finn, look at me." She holds his face in her hands, the pads of her thumbs smoothing over his cheeks. He blinks at her once, twice, before she sees that she's got him back. He's breathing quite shallowly so she pulls his head towards her chest, his ear just over her heart. "Just calm down, okay? _Breathe_."

Finn nods, his breathing improving with every inhale and exhale. Rey was so caught up in trying to prevent a full blown panic attack - those are _not_ fun - that she didn't even see the other Resistance members standing around.

When she looks at them, they return her gaze with icy glares. These are the people she just fought side-by-side with and now they're looking at her with such disgust.

Finn stirring in her arms is the only reason she looks away. He pulls away and takes a deep breath.

"Thank you." His voice comes out so soft it almost makes her forget he was just pummeling one of her comrades. Almost.

Rey's upset with him, angry even, but she knows better than to start any argument in front of the other Resistance members.

"What happened here?" Luke asks, content that the boy on the floor - she now recognizes him as Tamin, a pilot - is fine.

"That animal attacked me!" Tamin spits out.

" _Oi_!" Rey doesn't want to leave Finn's side - she doesn't know why but she'll deal with that later - but she also wants to approach Tamin just to see if he'd still be so bold to throw around names like that when she's just an arm's length away. "Don't call him that!"

There are mumbles from the small crowd behind her but she can't be bothered by it. Stormtrooper or not, she's not going to let anyone degrade Finn.

Tamin scoffs, turning his attention to Luke. "He's a member of the First Order and we found him walking around the Resistance area of the base. When we tried to get him to leave, he came at me."

Rey doubts that strongly. Finn may still be a relative stranger to her, but she can sense that he would never do such a thing.

Luke, however, seems insistent on remaining impartial.

"Is this true, Finn?"

Finn glances at Rey for a moment, an expression on his face she can't quite read, before nodding.

He's lying, she can feel it. She doesn't know why he would make himself look bad just to protect these idiots but she certainly intends on finding out.

Luke sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, everyone go back to your respective areas of the base and stay there until the General's address."

The other Resistance members help Tamin off of the floor, the whole lot of them dividing their disapproving stares between both Finn and Rey.

Finn stands up without a word, and starts off for the First Order side of the base. Rey doesn't hesitate to follow him.

She hears Tamin whisper something as she passes - " _look fellas, guess she considers herself a member of the Order now_ " - but she decides she'll address that comment later. For now, she has a few questions to ask Finn.

-

The two of them walk - more like stomp, actually - to his quarters in silence. Rey's presence drew a few eyebrows and startled jerks from First Order members and Stormtroopers alike, but neither she nor Finn paid it too much mind.

When Finn reaches his room, he slides the door open, walking in and never bothering to look back at Rey. He sits on the edge of his bed, eyes closed and hands rested on his knees. It's only then she notices the decent sized cut just above his left eyebrow.

"Why'd you lie?" She stands in front of him, arms crossed over her chest.

"Because it was easier than telling the truth."

"Easier for who? Surely not you. Because now Luke thinks you're some unhinged psycho that beats up on people all because you decided to spare those little twerps and not tell the truth."

Finn sighs, his eyes popping open. "Rey, if I would've told the truth, what would that have gotten me? Tamin and those guys would still hate me no matter what."

Rey places her hands on her hips, giving a sigh of her own. "It's not about that, Finn. It's about - okay tell me what happened. The truth, this time."

He hesitates, contemplating. She raises an eyebrow, a silent warning that if he chooses not to, she'll be the next Resistance member that gets into a scuffle with him.

"Since you ran off so quickly during our meal, I went looking for you. I ended up running into Tamin and his friends and they started calling me names - "

"What did they say exactly?"

This time, Finn raises an eyebrow. "Like I'm gonna tell you. You just wanna know so you can have more of a reason to beat on those guys."

Rey shrugs. He's not wrong. "Fine, we'll come back to that later. What else happened?"

"Well they were saying stuff about me and I don't really care, I'm used to it, but then - " he swallows, his features suddenly growing dark. "Then they started talking about you and I just got upset and shoved him. He, uh, hit me once, which is how I got the cut, and then I socked him. Everything after that is a little fuzzy."

Something about Finn getting into a fight defending her seems so _him_. It's kind of sweet but also immensely foolish and she wishes he would never do it again.

But she can't be _too_ cross with him because of it.

Rey turns and walks into the refresher in his room, coming back out with a wet towel and a small adhesive bandage for his eye.

"Listen," she kneels in front of him, gently wiping the blood from his eyebrow and attempting to clean the cut. "I'm grateful that you tried to defend my honor or whatever but I don't need you to. I can more than take care myself, okay?"

"I don't doubt that you can but," he grabs her wrist, stopping her motions. He's looking at her, eyes staring into hers. "I know you aren't putting very much weight into this marriage, but I am. You're my _wife_ now, Rey. I'm not gonna stand by and let anyone insult or threaten you. So even though you can hold your own, I'm still gonna try and protect you."

Rey feels a sort of flutter in her stomach at his words. It's weird and new and... _weird_. She promptly ignores it.

"We both know this situation isn't exactly my favorite," she shrugs out of his grasp to finish placing the bandage over the cut. "But since you insist on getting into fights over me, I guess I can try a little harder to make the best out of things. We can, you know, maybe even be friends."

He smiles, all teeth and eye crinkles and - _damn it_ , there's that flutter again.

"Friends." He repeats with a satisfied nod. "I like the sound of that."

They sit there, grinning at each other - they have _got_ to stop doing that - when there's a knock on the door. Rey stands and moves to the opposite side of the room as Finn yells for whomever it is to come in.

A young woman in a First Order uniform enters, side eyeing Rey as she does.

"Sir, General Hux wanted to inform you the presentation ceremony shall begin shortly. You," she glances over at Rey again. "And your wife should start to make your way to the common area."

Finn nods and the woman turns to leave. As soon as the door slides shut, he rolls his eyes and gives a loud groan.

"Can you believe we've only been married for, like, three hours?" Rey laughs a little at the face he's pulling. "It's felt like _years_."

She feigns offense, hand covering her heart dramatically. "Wow, have you already grown sick of being my husband?"

He stands and shakes his head. "Not even a little bit. Sick of people's reactions to the marriage, yes. But not sick of you." He gives her a playful wink. "Not yet, at least."

She knocks her shoulder into his and the two of them leave his quarters to make their way to the common area.

Considering how Finn's already gotten into a fight with a Resistance member without anyone even knowing about their marriage yet, Rey can only wonder how many altercations will take place after this little announcement.

She certainly isn't looking forward to it.

-

Rey's been in a lot of nervy situations before, and she's sure Finn has as well, but very few of them were as nerve wracking as sitting in front of the huge crowd of Resistance fighters and First Order soldiers.

Even though she and Finn were being presented, thankfully all they had to do was sit off to the side while General Organa and Snoke made their speeches. They were long, epic speeches but Rey paid no attention to them. Her focus was squarely on the reactions of the crowd.

Those from the First Order that she could see - there were many of them that were wearing helmets - were hard to read. They were mostly stoic, unmoving, only bothering to show any sort of emotion whenever Snoke drove home a point. Rey thought maybe Finn would know more about what his fellow fighters were thinking. She would have to ask later.

The Resistance group were the direct opposite. They all showed the proper amount of respect when the General spoke, but it didn't stop them from rolling their eyes, shaking their heads or attempting to grab Rey's attention just so they could send her a dirty look.

Finn must have somehow sensed her discomfort because halfway through General Organa's explanation of the new terms of peace between the two forces, his hand finds hers, fingers interlocking with her own.

Under normal circumstances Rey would've jerked her hand away and stressed that she does _not_ need him to take her hand, but these are not normal circumstances. She's slightly panicking about how it seems the entire Resistance army is slowly turning on her and he's her husband now and he also happens to be oddly good at comforting, so she allows it. In fact, she more than just allows it. She gives his hand a squeeze and he runs his thumb over her knuckles in response.

At least she knows there's one person in the room that doesn't currently have ill feelings toward her.

The rest of the ceremony goes by in a flash. Rey concentrates on Finn's soothing motions against her hand which helps her to not completely break down. When the final words have been said and the forces have been dismissed, Finn's thumb stills, grabbing her attention.

"You back with me?" He asks and she tilts her head in confusion. "You were totally zoned out during that entire thing."

She laughs, cheeks feeling a bit warm. "Well, I really didn't wanna focus on how all my friends were looking at me like I just kicked a baby Ewok."

"Hey, don't worry about what they're thinking, okay? They just need some time to adjust, that's all." He stands, pulling her up with him. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about. Like living arrangements, for example."

Rey blinks. She vaguely remembers Leia saying something about them having to live together but - why in the _force_ is everything happening so quickly?

Finn frowns, his hands coming up to her shoulders. "Rey, you alright?"

She nods even though she really shouldn't. "Yeah, I'm just - is it just me or is this all going a bit fast? I mean I'm kind of feeling a little overwhelmed here."

Finn studies her for a moment before grabbing her hand again, gently leading her off of the small stage, past a few lingering groups of Resistance members, and towards the base's hangar.

Rey wants to protest but there's an uncomfortable tightness in her chest that feels quite familiar. "Finn, where are we going?"

He keeps walking, hand gripping hers more tightly. "You have a ship, right? The _Millennium Falcon_?"

"Yes, but - " she's finding it a tad hard to breathe now. _No_ , _no_ , _no_ , this _cannot_ be happening.

When they reach the Falcon, Finn stops, eyes full of concern.

"Rey, I know you wanna stay strong and pretend that you're okay but," he takes both of her hands, which are frustratingly trembling. "This is all too much. Even for you. I mean you're _not_ okay right now."

She so hates that he's right.

"Listen to my voice, look at my eyes and breathe." She does exactly as he instructs, feeling better enough to appreciate the irony in the fact that now it's _him_ trying to talk _her_ down from a potential panic attack. "In one day you've killed someone close to you, ended an entire war, _and_ married a stranger from the enemy force. I doubt you've even had a second to just sit down and take all that in so, we're leaving. You and me. Right now."

Rey scoffs at his suggestion. "And go where?"

"Anywhere but here."

He's crazy. She's married a crazy person. They absolutely cannot just up and leave. Or can they? It isn't like there's a war going on anymore - their union made sure of that - and there's no real reason for their presence on the base. Both forces are to clear out in the next day or so anyway. To leave now wouldn't be abandoning anything; it would technically just be getting head start.

So if Finn's crazy for wanting to leave, Rey's even crazier for agreeing to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright, so a couple things i would like to say:
> 
> 1) i did not like the chapter at all, mainly because i realized halfway through writing it that the way i wrote it, everything up until this point had taken place in a day. i don't know if that seems unrealistic to anyone else but, eh, looking back on it i probably should've planned more carefully.
> 
> 2) wtf was that ending i mean im so ????? idk i just really wanted the two of them to get away from everyone else so i could really push the story along so sorry if it seemed weird.
> 
> tl;dr SORRY IF THIS CHAPTER SUCKED OKAY I AM NOT V GOOD AT CHAPTERED STORIES BUT I AM TRYING
> 
> anyways, thanks for reading y'all <3


	4. i think i found my home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> marshmallows are eaten, conversations are had and finn finds his lightsaber.

Somewhere after setting a course for a very particular star system and finally changing into more comfortable clothing, Rey falls asleep. The last thing she remembers is waiting for Finn to make his move during a game of holochess they were playing when her eyelids started getting heavy. She didn't mean to fall asleep on him like she did, but she was so tired. Mentally, physically, emotionally - Rey just _really_ needed an extremely long nap.

When she wakes up sometime later with a blanket carefully draped over her - she can probably guess how _that_ got there - she's immediately met with the sight of Finn curled up just to the right of her. He's got his coat acting as a blanket over him and his mouth open letting out the softest snores. She gets those stupid flutters again just watching him sleep and she decides that maybe she should go make herself some tea or something to calm her stomach.

(Because those flutters _have_ to be a physical ailment. Nothing emotional about them at all. It must have been all that cake she ate.)

Rey manages to move without waking Finn and heads toward the small kitchen within the Falcon, grabbing her holopad on the way.

The device is glowing red which means she has several missed communications. Apparently she's been out for a full day. No wonder she's missed so many. She might as well check them. It isn't like she can avoid it forever.

The first one - and subsequent seven - is from Poe. He sounds frantic and worried and uses words like ' _kidnapped_ ' and phrases like ' _against your will_ '. He thinks Finn's taken her or something. That's quite the laughable thought.

The next one is from Luke. He leaves a long message about how he understands if she had to get away and how he can't be upset at her sudden disappearance because he's done the same before. He also makes a point to stress that she needs to get in touch with him as soon as possible.

Leia leaves a few messages and on the spectrum of Luke's calm message to Poe's distressed ones, her's fall somewhere in the middle. She's understanding, much like her brother, but she also has suspicions about whether or not Rey left of her own volition.

Rey opts to type out a message for everyone rather than call. She keeps it short and tries to answer previous questions and any future ones they could have.

_Finn and I went away for a bit. He didn't force me to go. We're both fine. Be back when we can x_

Satisfied, she sends it and promptly turns the holopad off. The point of leaving was to get away from all of that business. She doesn't need it following her here.

Just as she's pouring her cuppa, Rey hears approaching footsteps. Finn appears in the doorjamb, rubbing his eyes and letting out a silent yawn. She won't lie, it was a cute sight.

"Well," his face breaks out into a sleepy grin. "You look rested."

"I am." She goes ahead and pours him one too. "I feel much better thanks to your bright idea."

He accepts the warm cup from her. "Good! I'm glad to hear that. Maybe now we can play some holochess and you'll actually stay awake for it?"

And while Rey would like that - she _was_ beating him, after all - she thinks maybe there's something else they should do instead. Something more important.

"Actually, I think I wanna talk." She circles her finger around the rim of her cup, doing everything she can to avoid his eyes. "About everything. The marriage and what happens next and...Kylo. If that's okay with you?"

"Of course." He says quickly. "That's more than fine with me."

"Alright then," she looks up at him and he's giving her an expectant look, as if he's ready to hear whatever it is she has to say. "Where to begin?"

It all comes pouring out at once. Rey didn't know just how badly she needed to let all of her thoughts and feelings and emotions out until she actually did it. She mainly speaks of Kylo, about how it pained her to kill him, but how at the same time, it felt so gratifying. She tells him how afraid she is of the feeling of satisfaction she got from stabbing her lightsaber through his heart. She confesses that ever since that moment, she's felt an eerily strong pull to the dark side. By the end of it all, she's tucked into Finn's side with his arm wrapped protectively around her.

"I know you probably don't have much sympathy for me considering he was your leader and all but - "

"Rey, I think there's something you need to know about me." Finn sets his now empty cup down on the counter and shifts, allowing her to better see his face and the serious expression on it. "I hate the First Order just as much, if not more, than any Resistance fighter."

That's...unexpected. Rey knew Finn was different, softer than the rest of his Order comrades, but she never thought he would go so far as full on dissent.

"The First Order stole me from a family I'll never know just to strip me of who I was, who I was supposed to be, in order for them to have another mindless solider to fight their battles." He pauses a long moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry that you had to be the one to do it, but I'm honestly glad Kylo's gone. And I'll be happy if I never have to see Snoke again too. I don't ever want you to think that just because I was forced to fight for them that I agree with what they represented because I don't."

Rey doesn't know what to say, so she leans forward and hugs him. He's rigid under her touch, like he's never been hugged before, and the thought hurts her. Finn is so good, so _kind_ , he deserves nothing but the same in return yet all he's received his whole life is the harsh treatment of the First Order.

"I'm sorry, Finn." She mutters into his shoulder, hand gently cradling the back of his neck.

He relaxes, finally, and tentatively wraps his arms around her. "For what?"

"For not understanding. Or for not at least trying to understand." She holds him a moment longer before pulling away. "Because you're a Stormtrooper I just assumed I knew how you'd be and I never allowed myself to actually see you as anything other than the enemy. I'm sorry about that."

The corners of Finn's mouth turn up the slightest bit. "You don't have to apologize for that, Rey. I never expected you to welcome me with open arms. I knew going in to this I would have to show you that I'm not like them, that I'm different. I knew I was going to have to work hard to gain your trust."

"And I promise I'll work just as hard to gain yours." She says with a small smile before moving out of his immediate personal space and walking over to pour herself another cup of tea.

Finn sighs, arms folding over his chest. "So besides Kylo, how are you feeling about everything else?"

Rey thinks that's a very roundabout way of asking if she's warmed up to the idea of being married to him.

Truthfully, she feels a lot better about it than she initially did. Finn's already proven to be a decent person, so much so that Rey can even envision herself being friends with him. He's sweet and he tells jokes that shouldn't be funny but make her laugh anyway and he smiles _a lot_ and he - he's just a really nice person to be around.

She doesn't know how to articulate that to him without sounding like a complete loon, though. Luckily for her, the beeping of the navigation systems save her from having to answer.

"Oh! We're almost at our destination!" Rey perks up, moving past him to head for the cockpit.

The sound of Finn's footsteps follow her and he eases into the copilot's chair. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see him marveling at the fluidity of her movements as she prepares for landing.

He lets out a puff of laughter. "Guess they weren't kidding when they called you the best pilot in the galaxy."

Rey frowns, sparing a glance in his direction. "The best? Really?" She hums, amused. "Just wait until I pass that information along to Poe."

Finn looks like he wants to ask something, but instead just leans back in his seat. Every so often Rey will instruct him to 'push that' or 'pull this' and soon they end up working quite well together.

After they land, Rey leads him out of the Falcon and, somehow, the moment the soles of her boots touch the dirt, she feels immensely at peace.

"Wow," Finn breathes from beside her. "Where are we?"

"Ach-To." She answers, gazing out at the vast expanse of water in front of them. "It's where I first started my Jedi training."

Rey will admit she has ulterior motives for bringing them to this particular planet. She figured since this is where Luke trained her, maybe just being here will awaken something in Finn. Plus, she's always loved how calm the planet is. So if she can lead Finn to Jedi waters and buy herself a few days of relaxation at the same time, she'll do it.

Finn takes a few tentative steps ahead of her, taking in the landscape. For a moment Rey sees something flash across his face and she thinks maybe he feels it, that surge of light, of the _pure goodness_ she herself feels from him. He turns to her, eyes shiny and bright and she's anxious for him to confirm that he finally feels the Force.

Then he frowns.

"It's pretty chilly here." He says, hands rubbing together in an attempt to warm them up.

Well. Feeling the Force is a process. He'll get it soon. Hopefully.

"Here," she places her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back towards the Falcon's entrance ramp. "I want to show you something but it requires food and blankets. You go get the blankets, and I'll go get the food."

Finn does as she asks without any questions. He heads off for the area of the Falcon where Rey hoards all sorts of pillows and blankets and she goes into the kitchen to pack them a picnic basket and grab her rucksack.

They meet back at the entrance ramp, and Finn wordlessly follows her back out onto Ach-To. The walk to the cave - the super cozy cave Luke spent many nights teaching Rey to meditate - was silent but it wasn't uncomfortable. Uncomfortable moments around Finn are few and far in between.

When they reach the opening of the cave, Finn stays in step with her but slows down greatly, a wary look on his face.

"No offense Rey," he says suddenly clutching the blankets he held tighter to his chest. "But this isn't exactly a great picnic spot."

She giggles - which is weird; she doesn't think she's ever done that before - and turns to look at him over her shoulder. "This isn't a picnic _per say_ ," she stops when she finds the spot she was looking for. "It's more like we're going to toast marshmallows and try to get to know one another better."

Rey sets the picnic basket down and grabs the blankets from him, strategically placing them on the ground so they'd have a more comfortable place to sit.

"Marshmallows?" Finn repeats carefully, almost as if it's a foreign word to him.

"Have you never had them before?" She asks, taking a seat one on side of the blanket and motioning for him to take the other side.

He shakes his head, lowering himself into a cross-legged position next to her. "As far as First Order food goes, nutrient bars were the standard. Getting real food was rare and the few times we did, marshmallows were never on the menu."

Rey opens the small bag of them she packed inside of her rucksack. "Well then, Finn, you are in for a treat. Literally."

He looks at her very seriously before letting out what she can only describe as a snort. "You know, I think I like you better when you're not all stoic and Jedi-y. You're pretty funny when you wanna be."

Rey raises an eyebrow as she pulls out the small electric heating plate from her pack. "Did you not think Jedis capable of making jokes? Because I'll have you know, I'm actually quite hilarious."

Finn looks rather skeptical. "Alright, then. Prove it, Jedi. Tell me a joke."

"Um, okay," she thinks for a moment, skewering the marshmallows on short silver rods, waiting for them to get nice and toasty. "How many First Order soldiers does it take to change a light bulb?"

"I don't know. How many?"

"None, because they prefer the dark side!"

Rey stares at him, waiting for the appropriate reaction of laughter and maybe even a handclap or two, she isn't picky. Instead, Finn just grins widely and shakes his head.

"Rey, I'm sorry but that was _terrible_." He leans back on his hands, head tilting as he looks at her. "Adorable, but really, really terrible."

"Maybe you Stormtroopers just don't have a sense of humor." Rey pouts, taking the marshmallows away from the hot plate and pointedly ignoring his use of the word adorable. She hands him a rod, which he squints at as he takes it. "Give it a second to cool before you eat it, unless you wanna burn your tongue."

Finn nods and waits a moment before biting into the gooey treat. Rey watches his face intently, eager to see his reaction.

"Well," he starts, tongue darting out to capture the little bits left on his lips. She doesn't know why that of all things is distracting. "You may not be great at telling jokes but you're excellent at making these things! Can I have one more? Or, like, six more, maybe?"

Rey grins, happy that he likes it. It's then she realizes maybe she could grow used to this, to showing him things that are new to him and maybe even experiencing things that are new to the both of them together. It's an oddly domestic feeling but she isn't at all completely against it.

After making him a ridiculous amount of the toasted treats, the two of them talk for what feels like hours about everything and about nothing at all. Finn turns out to be incredibly easy to talk to, even easier than Poe is. Rey finds herself laughing harder than she has since she began her journey to help defeat the First Order. She even (literally) lets her her hair down. By the end of their long conversation, the two of them are downright giddy as they try to throw untoasted marshmallows into each other's mouths.

"Alright, tell me about how it was to grow up as Luke Skywalker's daughter." Finn asks, tossing a marshmallow in the direction of Rey's open mouth and missing terribly.

Rey doesn't blame him - because there's no way he could have known - but his question sucks all of the lightheartedness out of the cave. He picks up on it immediately, because his face instantly hardens into a worried expression.

"I actually - I didn't grow up with Luke." Rey swallows, silently praying she doesn't cry. This a happy time; she doesn't want to ruin it. "I, um, grew up by myself."

Finn frowns out of confusion. "By yourself?"

She ducks her head, fiddling with the hem of her tunic. "Luke left me on a planet called Jakku by myself when I was younger to protect me from being seduced to the dark side like Kylo was."

"He just - he left you? For how long?"

"Too long." She whispers, more to herself than him. "But, uh, that's all in the past now. Jakku is firmly behind me."

Finn still looks sad, maybe even angry, and Rey wonders why that could be.

"Were you never angry with him about it?" He asks curiously.

Rey shrugs. "When I first found out, I was. I didn't understand how my own father could just leave me like that. In my mind, it seemed like he valued protecting the galaxy from the potential threat of having two Skywalker descendants join the dark side rather than protecting his own daughter."

It's something she's rather ashamed of, the petulant way she stayed angry at Luke for so long. At the time, she felt completely justified in her actions, but looking back on it, it was rather childish of her. He only did what he thought was best; she just had to come to her senses and realize that. Sometimes, she still has to remind herself of that.

"Like I said, it's all behind me." She says quickly, tacking on a forced smile. "I try not to dwell on things I can't change."

Finn reaches over and covers her hand with his. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

It warms her to see him so concerned like he is. With each passing moment she spends around him, it feels as if there's an actual friendship growing and it feels rather nice. Rey wouldn't say she has a ton of friends - maybe Poe and Pava and a few others she can count on one hand - but she would say that she never latched on to the few she does have as easily as she's latched on to Finn. She doesn't know if it's because of their shared sensitivity to the Force - even if he doesn't realize his sensitivity yet - or what, but it's nice. He certainly is quickly growing on her.

Wanting the air between to them to become decidedly less tense, Rey tosses a marshmallow his way which bounces off his nose, causing the both of them to laugh.

After another long while of talking about more random things - he tells her that he knows a ton of different languages and she tells him she knows a ton of different ways to disarm a man; they're both equally impressed with one another - the two of them end up lying on the blanket, shoulders pressed together.

Rey's telling him the story of how she and BB-8 played an epic prank on Poe and she's laughing so hard she can barely get through it.

"Anyway," she breathes, wiping away a tear that's rolled down her face. "Needless to say after _that_ , Poe never tried to hide my lightsaber from me again. In fact, he still flinches whenever BB mentions the word pudding."

Finn chuckles but it's weak and Rey instantly knows something's up with him.

"So I've been meaning to ask," he says, foot knocking playfully into hers. "Who exactly is Poe? Is he like - like your boyfriend or something?"

Rey laughs because if she didn't know any better, she would definitely think Finn to be showing a little hint of jealously.

"No, nothing like that. He's just my friend. He was one of the first people I met when I left Jakku." She knocks her foot back into his. "Why? You jealous or something?"

He scoffs very unconvincingly. "No! I was just, you know, curious. You talk about him a lot so I just wanted to know."

"Well no, he isn't my boyfriend. I've actually never had a boyfriend before."

Finn hums. "I've never had a girlfriend."

Rey clicks her tongue against her teeth. "You would think Snoke and the General would marry two people with a bit more experience."

"Yeah, that's just terrible planning on their part."

Something in Rey compels her to prop herself up on her elbow in order to stare down at Finn. His eyes are closed and there's a serene expression on his face.

Objectively speaking, he's a _very_ good looking guy. His eyelashes fan perfectly against his unmarred skin and she's no poet, but given an appropriate amount of time, she bets she could write a stanza or two about his lips. She's never paid attention to a person's lips the way she sometimes finds herself paying attention to his.

Rey startles when Finn opens his eyes. He's caught her staring at his lips and doesn't even attempt to hold back his smirk.

"Hi." He says, his voice soft and coarse at the same time.

"Hi." She parrots back, only a tad distracted by the way _he_ now seems to be looking at _her_ lips.

She desperately wants to know what he's thinking, if he's thinking about her in the same way she's thinking about him. She thinks maybe she'll just ask - the direct way is the best way - when Finn reaches up and traces his thumb across her bottom lip.

He screws his eyes shut and yanks his hand away, placing it back at his side. "Gods, I'm so sorry. That was so weird - "

"No," Rey assures him. "Don't be sorry. It wasn't weird at all. At least, I didn't think it was."

Finn breaks out into the tiniest of smiles and she can't really explain what motivates her to do it, but Rey leans down and presses her lips against Finn's.

It's strange - he's a Stormtrooper and a member of the First Order; she should _not_ be doing this - and exhilarating all at once. It's chaste, just the pressure of his mouth against hers until he leans up, moving his head slightly and giving the kiss a new feel.

Rey's kissed people before - her time on Jakku wasn't _always_ boring - but it never felt like this.

Finn's lips move seamlessly with hers, as if they were taking part in some choreographed dance. When Rey feels a strong hand at the nape of her neck and fingers beginning to slide through her hair, she parts her lips slightly, giving him an invitation he eagerly accepts.

The kiss is wonderful and sweet and it gives her more of those flutters until things start to get a little too intense.

Kissing Finn is reminiscent of the first time Rey felt the Force. She's aware that she's here, physically, in this cave being more intimate with him than she ever has been with another person, but her mind and soul feel far away. Images flash through her head: her kneeling over a fallen Kylo, Luke screaming at a crestfallen Finn, her standing proudly beside Snoke - it's all frightening and she needs to make it _stop_.

Rey jerks away because she _definitely_ felt that. And if she felt it so strongly, she can only imagine what Finn experienced.

He's sat before her, wide eyed and panting and it reminds her of how she must have looked after she first grabbed Luke's lightsaber. Which must mean...

"Oh my gods," Rey says as the realization hits her. " _I'm_ your lightsaber."

Finn frowns, forehead wrinkling in confusion. "What - what are you talking about?"

"I only knew I had the Force once I touched Luke's lightsaber. Holding it sort of woke the Force up in me and I'm pretty sure your version of holding a lightsaber was kissing me." Rey smiles, placing her hand on his cheek because, really, this is a good thing. "Finn, you're Force sensitive."

He blinks a few times before shaking his head vehemently. "No, that's - no, I'm just FN-2187. I'm not a Jedi or a potential Jedi, I'm merely a - "

"Hey, hey, hey," Finn looks scared and Rey knows the feeling. It can be overwhelming at first to feel so much power, so much energy surging through you. Not to mention if he saw the same things she did, no wonder he's frightened. "You're more than just a sequence of numbers, okay? You're an actual _person_. And I'll - I'll help you though this. We'll figure this all out together."

After a moment, he nods and leans his forehead against hers. "I suppose you're gonna tell Luke about this?"

"I don't have to tell him anything you don't want him to know." She doesn't know if he somehow already knows, but it is quite alarming that she's so willing to lie to him - her Master and her _father_ \- to accommodate Finn.

Rey isn't an expert on the force by any means, but she can't shake the feeling that there's something _more_ happening here. She will admit that she was beginning to feel a sort of closeness towards Finn, but now that feeling has intensified tenfold. There's a warmth settling in her chest that feels akin to what she wished on every star she could feel back during all those lonely nights on Jakku. It's sense of security, of devotion, of belonging...of _home_.

Yes, there is _definitely_ something more at play here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was going to type this entire note in caps lock because guys.........im so stoked for the next chapter like i've already started writing it and - ugh, it's just gonna be hella great okay. i really liked this chapter (especially the ending bc it literally sets up the whole rest of the story) but, boy, is the next chapter gonna be dope as all heck.
> 
> okay, enough of my rambling. thank you all for reading and leave me more of your amazing comments <3
> 
> ((also i actually made up the terrible joke rey told all by myself so feel free to shower me in compliments))


	5. bonded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> luke delivers some interesting news. it changes quite a bit.

The next few days they spend on Ach-To are almost insufferably awkward. Whenever they do talk to one another, the conversation is usually meaningless and trivial. Rey doesn't want to accidentally say something about Finn's newfound Force sensitivity and neither one of them are particularly eager to discuss _that_ kiss.

In truth, Rey would love nothing more than to discuss it. She is far from an expert on all of this relationship stuff, so she would really like to know what that kiss meant, exactly. Are they still friendly acquaintances? Are they more than that? Does one kiss make them boyfriend and girlfriend? Can they even _be_ boyfriend and girlfriend considering they're already technically husband and wife?

Keeping in all of her feelings about the kiss and his Force sensitivity is driving Rey crazy so she tries to keep her mind off of it as best she can by working on the Falcon. She ends up fixing quite a few problems - Han would be proud - before she's run out of things she can patch up with just the tools she keeps on the ship. It's been days and Luke keeps sending her messages via her holopad and their little getaway is starting to feel a lot like running away and Rey thinks maybe it's time to go back.

"Hey Finn, can you hand me the - " The small plastic bag of bolts is in her hand before she can finish her sentence. Finn's gotten really good at doing that, knowing what she needs - in terms of fixing the ship, of course - without her having to ask for it. "Thanks."

Finn's sitting against the wall, watching her work and idly entertaining himself with some leftover wiring Rey's sat out to be tossed later.

"I noticed you set a destination today," he says and her heart skips a beat. She didn't think he saw that. "Where are we headed now, Captain?"

Rey fixes a few more bolts onto the paneling, using the precious seconds to work up some courage. "D'Qar."

Finn hums. "What's on D'Qar? You know, besides a Resistance base."

He knows. Rey knows he knows. And she's pretty sure he knows she knows he knows.

"Finn," she sighs, setting down the bolts she held and turning to face him.

"You said you wouldn't tell him, Rey." He says with a deep scowl.

"I know I did and I wish I didn't have to! I just - " she runs a hand over her hair. "He needs to know, Finn. When we kissed, something happened and Luke needs to know about it."

"I get that, I really do, but," Finn frowns, sitting up straighter against the wall. "I respect what you and Luke are, what you two do as Jedis for the galaxy and whatnot, but I don't want any of that. That's not the sort of responsibility I'm prepared to take on."

Rey respects his aversion to it all. She herself wasn't exactly gung-ho to take on being a Jedi when she first found out she had the Force so it isn't as if she can be cross with him for not jumping at the chance to become a Jedi.

"I'll tell him that. I'll make sure he doesn't make you do or be anything you don't want to." She means it. Now that the war is over the need for Jedis isn't as strong as it once was. "But, truthfully, even if none of this happened we would still need to go back home. We've been away for too long."

Finn shakes his head with something of a sad smile. "When we arrive on D'Qar, they're gonna welcome _you_ back with open arms, not me. Being with Luke and Leia and Poe and everyone else you've ever mentioned to me, that's your home Rey, not mine."

Rey feels foolish for never once considering the fact that Finn doesn't have anyone to return to. She has Luke and Leia and everyone else but he has no one. When Snoke sent him off to be married it was with the intention that he'd never come back.

"I can't just leave them Finn, they're my family." He hangs his head and she walks over, taking a seat on the floor beside him. She nudges him a few times to get him to look at her. "But so are you now so we'll compromise. We'll spend a few days on D'Qar, long enough for me to tell everyone what we plan on doing, and then we'll go and do whatever it is married people do."

Finn breaks out into a toothy grin and it absolutely melts her. She doesn't think she'll ever get tired of seeing him smile.

Rey's so busy marveling at him - _how_ did someone so beautiful as Finn come from something so ugly as the First Order? - that she doesn't notice his hand inching towards hers until his fingers are already interlocked with her own. He glances shyly at her, silently asking if the contact is okay. She runs her thumb over his to let him know it is.

"Listen Rey, I've been meaning to ask," Finn nervously bites at his lip for a moment before continuing. "Back in the cave, why'd you kiss me?"

His question just about knocks the wind out of her. Maybe she wasn't as eager to discuss the kiss as she thought she was.

"Well, you make me laugh and you treat me well even though I never expected you to given your upbringing," she says, trying to carefully construct her words and convey to him exactly what she feels. "Sometimes you look at me like I'm the only person in the galaxy, and I'm pretty sure I'm attracted to you so - look Finn, I'm not very good at this whole feelings thing, but I do know that I have them for you. Feelings, that is."

Finn nods slowly, again worrying at his bottom lip. Rey kind of wants to kiss him to get him to stop. That's certainly an interesting sort of want for her to have.

"I have them too." He says after a long while. "Feelings for you, I mean."

"Good," Rey smiles because that _is_ good. She would have felt mightily stupid if her feelings weren't returned. "Now where do we go from here with all these feelings?"

Finn lifts a shoulder in response. "Considering we got married before we even developed feelings for each other, I'm not too sure. We seem to be doing this whole thing out of order." He gives her hand a small squeeze and it feels like there's something doing the same to her heart. "I say we just take it our own pace? I mean I'm sure we can figure out how a relationship works on our own. We'll both just...use the Force."

It's the first time Finn's brought up his Force sensitivity in a joking manner and Rey's glad for it. He always seems to be able to smile about things, even the difficult things, and considering the way her life pans out some times, she thinks just maybe she could use someone like that in her life.

-

The moment the Falcon touched down inside of the hangar on D'Qar Finn started to act a bit nervous. Rey understands it, to some degree, but can't help the tick of annoyance she feels at the way he's tapping his foot against the grate of the lowering ramp.

"Are you okay?" She asks, trying to sound less irked than she actually is.

Finn nods then quickly frowns and shakes his head. "The last time I spoke to General Organa, she was asking me to sign the paperwork to legally become your husband. The last time I spoke to Luke was during the altercation with Tamin. And Poe, well, I've never spoken to him so, I'm just a tad nervous about how I'll be received."

Rey threads her fingers through his, a silent show of support, like he seems to like to do for her. She tugs him out of the Falcon and onto the base, which is starting to look less like that since the war is now over. All sorts of workers are buzzing around, deconstructing this and moving that and it's all so busy, she doubts Leia or Luke or even Poe for that matter will have the time to pay any real attention to Finn.

"Don't worry, we're only gonna be here for a few days anyway. Just long enough for me to speak with Luke and for us to find somewhere a little more permanent to settle - "

The very distinct beeps coming from ahead of them stops Rey's sentence short. Her heart nearly leaps out of her chest at the sound of BB-8 rolling toward her.

"BB!" The little droid skids to a stop at her feet and she immediately drops down to shower it in some very long-awaited affection.

BB sends out a series of beeps, moving curiously towards Finn as it does.

"Oh, this is Finn. He's my husband." She answers - interestingly with almost no hesitancy - and BB frantically screeches. "It's okay, BB. He isn't with the Order anymore. We can trust him."

Before BB can retort, Rey hears footsteps approaching and if the droid's already here, then she probably has a good guess of who's behind him.

"Poe!" The pilot runs towards her and scoops her up in his arms, giving her a twirl while BB-8 whirls happily at his feet. When he places her back on the ground, she grins at him, too happy to see her good friend again. "I missed you."

"Missed you, too." BB knocks into his shin. "BB did too. Wouldn't stop beepin' about how you're the only one who can get its antenna just right."

She playfully slaps his arm before turning to Finn, who looks quite uncomfortable.

"Uh, Poe," she nods for him to come over and when he does, she again takes his hand in hers. "This is Finn. You two haven't been properly introduced yet."

Poe looks Finn up and down, a careful eyebrow raised. His eyes drift down to the band around the finger of Finn's left hand and instantly tenses.

"Sorry, this is still a little weird for me. I mean with him being a Trooper and all." He says, arms folding over his chest.

Rey lets out a long breath. This is going to take time, she reminds herself. She herself was skeptical of Finn at first; once they get a chance to know him like she has, they'll see how good of a person he is.

"He _was_ a Stormtrooper." She corrects. "He isn't anymore. He's just Finn now."

There's a small stretch of silence before Finn clears his throat. "Uh, I know you don't trust me, or like me very much for that matter, but if you're up for it, I'd love for us to maybe talk a little? You know, so we can make things a little _less_ weird."

Poe purses his lips, foot tapping as he thinks. He lifts a shoulder and nods slightly. "Me and a few of the pilots are about to go grab some food in a bit. You can meet us in the mess and we can hang out. See just how much of the Order is left in you."

It's meant in jest and Finn knows it, giving a light laugh in response. Poe cracks a smile - which Rey will consider a victory - before bidding goodbye and disappearing with BB-8 into the crowd of Resistance workers.

When Finn catches the very impressed look Rey's giving him, he blushes the slightest bit.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asks, amused.

"Just impressed at how you handled that." She answers with a shrug.

Finn smirks as they start walking again, this time towards the living quarters. "I impressed a Jedi, huh? I'm gonna have to mark this day down in my journal."

Rey's about to make a joke about his journaling habits when a figure moves into their path and she loses all the humor she once had.

"You know, I heard you were coming back but I honestly thought Poe was full of it. I thought there was no way either one of you would show your face around here after last time."

Tamin's voice makes Rey's blood start to boil. Seeing him, hearing him, takes her right back to seeing him accuse Finn of something he didn't do and get away with it. She remembers what Finn told her really happened and the cut above his eye that is a nothing but a fading scar now. She reckons she still has a smidge of unfinished business with him.

Finn (rather wisely) steps in between her and the young pilot.

"The war is over Tamin," he says calmly. "There's no need for us to fight anymore."

Tamin sneers, eyes lingering for a moment on Rey before snapping to Finn. "You're still Stromtrooper scum in my eyes. Just because you're screwing Luke Skywalker's daughter doesn't change that."

Rey's fingers fly to the hilt of her lightsaber and she has to physically stop herself from unsheathing it from her belt.

Without even a glance behind him, Finn's hand covers the hand she had gripped around her lightsaber and she's very curious as to how he managed to do that. The contact helps, though. She begins to feel immensely calmer, as if she's feeding off of his peacefulness. The comfortable tightness in her chest that's been there ever since that evening in the cave tugs at her heart momentarily before dissipating. They're strange feelings, but they do manage to take her mind off of Tamin.

"Right, you hate me no matter what. Message received. Now, we have somewhere to be if you don't mind?" Finn takes Rey's hand more securely and starts to lead her towards the living quarters, stopping only to whisper something to Tamin as they pass him by. She doesn't hear what's said, only that Tamin goes pale and fails at keeping up his bravado.

Once they're far enough away - and she's considerably less agitated - Rey asks what exactly it was he told him.

"Nothing, really. I just let him know what would happen if he tries anything like that again." He turns to her, his face the picture of seriousness. "I meant what I said before, Rey. I'm not gonna let him, or anyone else for that matter, disrespect you."

They finally reach the door of Rey's quarters and it (thankfully) saves her from having to respond. She's always had to look out for herself, but she will admit having someone willing to do it for her feels kind of nice.

When they walk in, Finn freezes as he looks around the decent sized room.

"Uh," he points at her bed. "There's only one bed here."

Rey nods, taking a seat on the edge of said bed. "Yeah, I figured we could share?"

When they were on the Falcon, Finn always opted to take the spare bed while Rey slept in the one she was accustomed to. Sharing a bed then was never necessary, nor is it really now, but it's a whole lot easier than attempting to find a spare room on base with two beds on such short notice.

Finn's starting to look a little green, though, so Rey offers up another solution.

"Or we could get you a cot? They're a little uncomfortable, though, which is why I offered the bed but - "

"I'll take the cot." He says a bit too eagerly. "I'm sure it's way better than anything we had in the Order anyway. Plus I don't wanna intrude."

Rey wants to tell him it's really not an intrusion at all, but she doesn't want to pressure him into anything. If he wants to sleep on the tiny cots the Resistance keeps in case of an influx of fighters, so be it. She won't force him to sleep comfortably if he doesn't want to.

(And she may or may not be hurt that he doesn't want to share a bed with her, but she's sure whatever his reasons are, they have nothing to do with her.

At least, she hopes not.)

-

After they settled in - thank the Maker they were able to find a spare cot for him - Finn went off to spend some time with Poe and the other pilots and Rey went off to find Luke.

He was in the room on the base he had designated his personal area, packing up the little belongings he brought with him when they arrived from their time on Ach-To.

Rey knocks when she enters, even though she knows very well he knew she was coming.

He spins on his heel, smiling ever so slightly at her. "Rey! You've returned."

She nods, stepping further into the room. "I felt it was time I came back. Even though I won't be here too long."

"Oh?" He hums. "Where are you going?"

"Truthfully, Finn and I haven't decided yet. I only came back to tell you that he knows now. About his Force sensitivity, I mean."

"And how did he discover it exactly?" Luke casually asks, flicking his wrist to get a small box to levitate over to stack on top of another larger one.

Rey falters slightly. The thought of him asking how things came to be never crossed her mind. She figured he'd just accept the news and tell her how to move forward. She knows better than to lie to him, though. He'd probably end up somehow finding out the truth anyway.

"Well I took him to Ach-To to see if maybe being there would help but it didn't." Luke motions for her to continue. "Anyway, long story short, it happened when - uh, it happened when we kissed."

Luke - stoic, calm, even keel Luke - actually buckles at the knees slightly and it's the most rattled Rey's seen him about something that didn't pertain to the First Order.

"It happened after a kiss?" His tone leads Rey to believe he knows something she doesn't. Which usually is the case, if she's being honest. "You _kissed_ him?"

"Yes," She nods, hands folding nervously over one another before she quickly steels herself. She has nothing to be ashamed of here. "Yes, I kissed Finn. He's a rather kind boy and I've grown pretty fond of him so - "

Luke takes a deep breath and approaches her, his hands finding their way inside the large sleeves of his robe.

"Rey, I need you to close you eyes and think about your island." Luke carefully instructs. It's an odd sort of request, but it's far from the oddest thing he's ever asked her to do.

She does as he says, letting out a long breath before letting the image of the island - her island - flood her mind. It's the place she goes whenever she needs to find her calmness. She can vividly see the green hills, the large serene blue ocean and feel the cool constant air on her skin. It's just as she remembers it, as it always is whenever she thinks if it, until she feels something new.

She's standing on top of one of the hills, overlooking the ocean, when there's the unmistakable feeling of fingers threading through hers. She looks to her left and there's Finn, grinning at her like he always does.

Rey's eyes pop open immediately.

"Finn was there." She informs him. "No one's _ever_ there with me, not even you. Why was he - "

Luke's mouth presses into a hardline and he looks very troubled.

"Others can see the one place in your mind that you guard closest if they're strong enough with the Force like I am or Kylo was, but to physically be there with you," he trails off, his head shaking slightly. "Only someone you're bonded with can do that."

Bonded? Yes, she and Finn have been getting on quite well and there are quite a bit of feelings between them, but she wouldn't go as far as to say they're 'bonded'. That sounds extremely...intense.

"When the Force is awakened in a person by some intimate act, such as kissing, it means that whomever they've done the act with is someone they're Force bonded to. Like soulmates."

"Soulmates?" The word feels heavy on her tongue. Rey's heard stories of soulmates, but she always dismissed them as idealistic tales told by the little old ladies she would clean scraps with on Jakku. She never thought it was actually real. And she certainly never thought she herself would have one.

Luke clears his throat, his shoulders slumped slightly.

"This concerns me, Rey. Alone, you are a very powerful Jedi but around him, your power increases tenfold and the same goes for him. You've confessed to feeling the pull to the Dark and if they're successful in bringing you over..." He trails off, eyes growing very dark. "You and Finn could bring the entire galaxy to its knees and there wouldn't be anyone that would be able to stop you."

That's quite unlikely. Very ominous, but highly unlikely. Rey has no desire to rule the galaxy like her cousin once had. In fact, she's certain if given the option to rule the galaxy, she'd absolutely decline.

"But I won't be seduced. I know who I am and I'm firmly rooted in the Light. Finn is too."

"We don't know that for sure."

"You and I both know that the Light radiates off Finn in droves - "

"That wasn't the part I was questioning."

Rey is utterly hurt to think her own father thinks her weak enough to be enticed by the Dark side. Then she remembers her earlier encounter with Tamin and how she was mere moments away from using her lightsaber on him. She's never resorted to violence unless absolutely necessary, but she was ready to earlier. She was ready to hold the white light up to Tamin's throat and make him apologize for everything he had done. Maybe she's more far gone than she realized.

"Rey, ever since you killed Kylo I can sense the struggle in you. You've tried to ignore it, but you need to confront it." He looks at her, hard and slight. "There is Light and there is Dark. There is no grey."

"I know that, _father_ ," she grits out the moniker she addresses him by only when she's particularly upset with him. "And I also know the struggle within me is temporary. I'm still reeling from the final battle but once I'm rested and recuperated, I'll be fine. Promise."

Luke does his best to look as if he believes her, but she can tell he doesn't. At least, not fully.

She ducks her head, saddened that she let herself become so conflicted he no longer believes in her ability to refuse the Dark side.

"As my father, I would think you would have a little more faith in me."

"I have all the faith in the galaxy in you, Rey. But I also have to be realistic about the situation at hand." He approaches her, hand resting on her shoulder. "Force bonded soulmates was a concept created in the Light but corrupted by the Dark. Plus it's so rare, no one really knows much about it."

Rey frowns. "Can you tell me what you do know then? Because, truthfully, I don't know how to handle something like this."

Luke offers up a sad smile before nodding. He proceeds to tell her everything he knows about Force bonded soulmates. It isn't much, but seeing as how it's a lot more knowledge than she arrived with, she finds it all considerably helpful.

-

Rey gets a few hours to herself before Finn comes back from hanging out with Poe. It's time she enjoys but halfway through changing into her sleep clothes, she starts missing Finn. She's grown so used to having him around in such a short amount of time, she's pretty sure her fondness for him has nothing to do with the Force bond.

Rey's reading some material Luke directed her to about Force bonded couples - because that's what she and Finn are now: a Force bonded couple - when Finn finally ambles in. He greets her with a smile and holds up the small container he held in his hand.

"Hey," he stands awkwardly in the center of the room, not quite sure where to go. "I didn't know if you had eaten yet so I brought you something back. Poe said pasta was your favorite so..."

It warms her to know he was thinking about her. She knows she now has more people than she can count on her hand that truly care about her, but that kind of care feels different coming from Finn. It feels like more than just caring. She figures there's probably a specific word to describe something like that, but she can't quite put her finger on it.

Rey motions for him to come over and sit next to her on the edge of her bed. He places the container on the desk in the room before sitting.

She doesn't mean to stare at him, really, but she isn't yet over the fact that Finn - former _Stormtrooper_ Finn - is supposedly her soulmate. The Force has chosen to bond the two of them together and, boy, does she wish the Force were an actual being because she has _a lot_ of questions to ask it.

"Everything okay?" He asks, waving a hand in front of her face. "You're kind of staring."

Rey doesn't want to bring it up now. She and Finn seem to be good again, less awkward and she's keen to keep it that way.

"How did things go with Poe?" She asks in an attempt to avoid the subject.

"Pretty good. He may not totally like me yet, but I don't think he dislikes me either so that's progress." He answers quickly before eyeing her carefully again. "You sure there isn't anything wrong? You seem distant."

She sighs. She isn't going to be able to keep this from him for much longer. Partly because he's so intuitive and would probably get her to confess before tomorrow's end, but also because she _wants_ to tell him. She's kind of excited at the thought of having a soulmate and she wants to share in that excitement with him.

"Have you felt this weird sensation in your chest lately? Almost like a tugging?" She asks, trying to approach this as gently as she can.

"Yeah I have, actually. It's really weird too." He says, hand rubbing mindlessly over the left side of his chest. "It doesn't hurt, though. It actually feels kind of comforting."

"Well that's because it's our soul bond." She speaks slowly, giving it a decent amount of time to settle before continuing. "Whenever the Force awakens in a person from something like kissing, it means the two people are bonded by the Force. We're soulmates, Finn."

Finn's eyebrows nearly shoot up off of his forehead. He looks...stunned, but not in a bad way, which Rey takes as a good sign.

"Wow, that's - that's a lot to digest." He laughs weakly. "Uh, but what does this mean, you know, for us? For all of our...feelings."

Rey's thought about that a lot since she spoke with Luke. The bond doesn't create feelings, it just intensifies certain ones. The things they feel towards each other are for the most part all their own.

"I don't know." She answers honestly with a shrug. "According to Luke, our feelings for one another are potentially dangerous. Apparently we're more powerful together and one little bit of influence from the Dark side and you and I could destroy the entire galaxy."

Finn looks unnervingly worried, like now there's something he's not telling her. "Do you think Snoke knew? That's why he chose me to marry you because somehow he knew we were soulmates?"

"Snoke's powerful but he's not _that_ powerful." Rey shrugs. She wouldn't _strongly_ doubt it, but surely even Snoke can't know those types of things.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He says, almost more to himself than to her. He lets out a breath, releasing some of the racked up tension in his body. "But, um, this is really cool news! It's also intense sounding and kinda scary, but cool nonetheless."

Rey laughs. "That's actually a very accurate description of the Force."

Finn smiles and stands to walk into the fresher before stopping just short, pivoting on his heel to face her again.

"I was thinking about what you said before, about how I didn't have to be a Jedi just because I have the Force but," he pauses, a tentative look on his face. "I think I'd still like to know how to use it properly. You know. Just in case."

Rey absolutely lights up at his words. She can't wait to tell Luke about this! It'll take time, sure, and it'll be tedious but it'll be worth it. Finn'll basically learn how to be a Jedi without receiving the proper title of Jedi and -

"And I'd like for you to teach me."

That dims her light a bit.

"Finn," Rey gets up from the bed to stand in front of him. "Truthfully, I'm still a student myself. Luke is a much better teacher than I could ever be."

"But you know the basic stuff, right?"

"Well yes but - " Finn takes her hands in his and it's really hard to say no to the pout he's giving her. "Before I agree to this, I have one condition for you."

Finn perks up, nodding eagerly. "You name it, I'll do it."

"You _cannot_ tell Luke, okay? Or anyone else for that matter. We have to keep this between us. I'm not sure how he'll react if he knows and I'm not exactly keen on finding out." It's more of a precaution, really. Luke could possibly be really happy that she's helping Finn learn some of the Force ropes, but given his dismal view on them being soulmates, it's more likely he'd find fault in the arrangement.

"Consider my lips sealed." He releases one of her hands to make a show of 'zipping' his lips.

"Alright, we'll get started tomorrow morning, bright and early."

Finn cheeses widely before leaning in to press his lips against her cheek. "Thank you for doing this, Rey."

Rey has the restraint to at least wait until he's disappeared into the fresher before bringing her fingertips to brush the spot on her cheek where Finn's lips touched. Her face feels warm and those familiar stomach flutters are in full effect.

Come sunrise, she'll begin training her - _very_ cute and _very_ charming - _soulmate_ in the ways of the Force.

She sure has come a long way since Jakku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i dont even know if force bonded soulmates are actually a thing but lol thEY ARE IN THIS FIC. also, SORRY FOR TAKING 84 YEARS TO POST THIS I REWROTE IT LIKE SIX TIMES LMAO okay anyways, thanks for reading y'all!! :))


	6. i'll tell you my sins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finn has a confession to make.

"You ready?"

"Have I mentioned how much I hate this?"

"Hey, you wanted to train and this is a part of training!"

"Yeah, but - " Rey doesn't give Finn the chance to finish his complaint. She runs towards him, staff in hand, and whacks him on his bicep. He spins wildly and she has to step out of the way to avoid getting hit by the staff he held his hands.

She's been training him for a week now and this is the only exercise he truly hates. Rey's no Jedi master - she's really been winging it when it comes to which exercises to have him do - but she figured blindfolding him and making him use the Force to fight her off seemed like something productive to do. Of course, that was easier for her to say. She, unlike him, could actually see.

Finn huffs, taking slow deep breaths in an attempt to feel the Force. Rey keeps her steps light and silent as she circles him, waiting for him to correctly follow the direction she was going.

It probably doesn't help that they're doing this while it's dark out, but sparring late at night, outside away from the base is the only assurance that they'll get the privacy they need.

"I'm waiting for you to strike, Finn." Rey singsongs, twirling her staff in her hands. She will admit, being on the opposite side of this exercise sure has its perks.

Finn stops turning and swings his staff out to his left, missing her by some distance.

"You're not focused enough." She punctuates her sentence by poking him in the backside with the end of her staff. "We can't stop until you get at least one offensive hit in."

Truthfully, Finn hasn't been a bad student at all. In fact, he's been learning quicker than even she did. Rey thinks that it has something to do with the soulbond between them, but she isn't sure. She'll just safely assume it's because he's a quick study.

Well. A quick study in everything _but_ blindfolded sparring.

When she makes a move to hit him on the shoulder again, he sidesteps out of the way. He must be getting more comfortable, more confident, because he spins the staff in his hand, a smirk growing on his face.

"Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of this now." He says, taking careful steps away from her.

"I'd be more inclined to believe you if you actually did something." Rey takes a swing at him, which he blocks with a huge grin. So he is getting the hang of it. Good.

"When you were training," he steps closer to her and she steps away. "Did Luke make you do this?"

He swings and misses.

"Of course," he means to catch her off guard by conversing with her but it isn't working. When he lunges forward in an attempt to disarm her, she simply pivots away. "And he wasn't as easy on me as I've been on you."

"Easy?" Another swing and a miss. "I have bruises that say otherwise."

Rey purposely brushes her fingers against the shell of his ear just to mess with him. "Don't be dramatic; you have one bruise and it isn't even that big."

"Most of the bruises I was referring to are on my ego." Finn stops right in front of her, readying his staff. "Okay, enough chit chat. Let's do this for real now."

Rey smiles at his bravado. When they did this yesterday, he managed to block most of her swings before she disarmed him. She has high hopes he'll surpass that tonight.

She wastes no time going after him. Much like she expected, he's doing a good job of defending himself. He isn't tripping over his own feet like he did the first couple of days. His movement is better and he's actually using the Force to somewhat predict where she'll strike next. Now if only he could use it to get some offense in -

Rey actually startles when Finn quickly parries and counters with a swift whack of his staff against her lower back. He takes her short pause in movement as an opportunity to sweep her feet out from underneath her. Luckily the ground on D'Qar was soft so her fall wasn't too bad. But even so, Rey's shocked it even happened in the first place.

Finn immediately yanks off his blindfold and runs to crouch down beside her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to trip you up like that! I guess I got carried away - " Rey grabs hold of him by the collar of his shirt and tosses him on the other side of where she previously laid, straddling him in the process.

"Never let your guard down until your opponent is fully disarmed." She says with a smirk.

"Right," He nods slowly before flipping them over one more time so that now he straddled her. "You'll do well to remember that yourself, _Jedi_."

He moves to shift his weight - presumably so he doesn't crush her - and ends up lying next to her, his body flush against hers. The way he's looking at her makes her think for a brief, fleeting moment that he's going to kiss her. Rey can hear her heartbeat thrumming in her ears as Finn slowly closes the distance between them. The moment feels like something straight out of the sappy holofilms Poe loves so much until what feels a lot like raindrops start to pelt the two of them.

"Argh! It _would_ start to rain now." Finn groans, wiping the back of his now wet neck. "C'mon, let's go back inside."

Rey stands with Finn's help and pulls him back when he tries to lead her back to the base. What started as a light sprinkle has turned into a steady downpour and Rey is very much inclined to stay here for a moment and enjoy it.

"Wait, let's stay for a bit."

"You wanna stay out here in the rain?" Finn asks, looking mightily uncomfortable.

Rey happily nods, adjusting her grasp on his hand to pull him closer to her.

"It rained the first time I was on D'Qar and since it never rained on Jakku, you can imagine how confused I was when I saw water just falling from the sky." She guides both of his hands towards her waist and wraps her arms around his neck, gently swaying as she talks. "I must have stayed outside for half an hour that day. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy when I came back on the base, soaking wet and shivering. I was happy, though. I mean I got sick afterwards, but I had just experienced rain for the first time in my life. Nothing was going to ruin that for me."

Finn frowns, yet there's still the hint of a smile on his lips. "So you didn't know what rain was until you left Jakku?"

Rey tips her head back and let's out a loud laugh. "I didn't know what a lot of things were until I left Jakku! You should have seen me when I discovered bubble baths. I stayed in so long I looked like an old raisin by the time I got out."

That gets Finn to laugh. It's deep and hearty and Rey's pressed so closely against him she can feel the vibrations of the laugh in his chest. It's wonderful.

"Can I tell you something?" She asks, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Always."

Rey takes a moment to appreciate the fact that they're standing in the rain, dancing slightly and she's about to make a ridiculously sentimental confession. Yes, this is exactly like something out of one of Poe's holofilms.

"Out of all of the new things I've experienced since I left Jakku, caring for you as deeply as I do has been my favorite."

Finn stops swaying and pulls away from her. He looks at her, hard and serious and Rey wonders if maybe she shouldn't have said that. Yes, they were soulmates and he's made no effort to hide his feelings for her, but there's something about his expression. He looks troubled, as if there's some intense struggle going on inside of him. She wants to reach out and feel for herself, but she doesn't want to intrude. She trusts that whatever - if anything - is bothering him, he'll tell her about when he's ready.

For now, he seems to have resolved the issue within himself. The corner of his mouth ticks up as his hands slide up into her damp hair, pulling her face towards his.

This time around, there's no gradual increase in the intensity of their kiss. From the moment their lips meet, it's all passion. Finn licks into her mouth, hot and hungry and it leaves Rey absolutely dizzy. Her hands are at his sides, grabbing fistfuls of his wet shirt in an attempt to pull him closer. She has never wanted anyone as much as she wants him right now.

It's only moments later - many, many moments later - that she realizes they can't very well stand out here and makeout all night. The rain is starting to chill her despite Finn's best efforts to warm her up.

Rey tears herself away from him when she needs a breath. Her hands rest on his chest, his heartbeat strong and quick beneath her palm. "We should go inside."

Finn silently agrees, lacing their fingers together and leading the two of them back to the base.

They try to be as quiet as they can as they walk through the base. Finn had the idea for them to lose their shoes so they wouldn't track mud through the base, which they aren't. But they are still leaving a trail of water behind them.

Thankfully they manage to make it to her room without running into anyone - it'd be pretty hard to explain what they were doing up at this time of night soaking wet - and when they do, they waste no time discarding their damp clothing.

Everything happens in somewhat of a blur. One moment Finn's tugging her tunic over her head and Rey's making quick work of the button of his trousers, and the next they're both on her bed, once again attached at the lips. They're both in their barest undergarments, but it still seems like there isn't a part of their bodies that _isn't_ touching.

For a moment Rey forgets that she actually doesn't know what she's doing. She's never gotten this far - underneath a boy, barely clothed and kissing him as if her life depended on it - with anyone before. She idly wonders if Finn has; he does _certainly_ seem to know what he's doing.

 _Hands_ , she thinks. She needs to use her hands for...something. She places them on the back of neck, lightly dragging her fingernails against his skin. He moans softly in response and Rey is very intent on getting him to do it again.

Rey's never seen Finn shirtless - nor can she really now given his position and the lack of light in the room - so she lets her hands do a bit of sightseeing for her. She runs them across his shoulders and down his back. When her hand passes over what unmistakably feels like scar tissue, Finn nearly jumps out of his skin. He moves away abruptly, sitting back on his heels at the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - " Rey starts, sitting up as well. She wonders if maybe she's hurt him, if she's run over one of those bruises he says he has, but judging by his reaction, she thinks it may be more than that.

"It's fine." Finn interrupts, sounding a bit rattled. "I just didn't think you were gonna touch it."

Rey wants to ask exactly what _it_ is but she doesn't want to press him. He looks the most unnerved she's seen him since the day they first met. Obviously she's (literally) touched on a sensitive subject.

"It's a scar." He sounds small, ashamed and nothing like the Finn she knows. "From my time in the Order."

Rey can see him shift in the darkness. He crawls to sit beside her, knees folded up against his chest.

"Kylo tried to make an example out of me once." He says, answering the question she didn't know if she would be brave enough to ask. "I had gone against his orders for the third time in as many months and since this particular incident happened in front of other Troopers and superiors, he said he had to show everyone what persistent disobedience gets you.

"He gave me one of those wooden sparring staffs and told me to fight him. He had his lightsaber though, so it was hardly a fair fight. I actually ended up getting a good knock or two in but he spun me around, swung his saber at me and - " Finn sucks in a shuddered breath and Rey instinctively grabs on to his hand, soothingly running the pad of her thumb over his knuckles. "All I remember is how hot his lightsaber felt against my back. It was like I could feel his hatred for me.

"That was the last time I saw him. I was in medical for a month and by the time I got out, he was dead and Snoke was telling me I was going to be married to the person responsible for killing him."

Rey feels a familiar hatred for the Order bubble up inside of her. She doesn't think she'll ever be over the way they treated Finn.

"Can I - " she wets her lips in an attempt to gain her nerve. "Can I see it?"

Finn hesitates a moment before nodding. Slowly, he turns his back towards her. There's a sliver of one of the moon's light coming through the small window in the room. It does just enough to illuminate the horrible, angry scar running down his spine.

Rey traces it lightly with her fingertips, blinking back the tears welling up in her eyes. When she sniffs, Finn turns immediately, arms coming up around her.

"Hey, hey," he soothes. "Don't cry. It's okay. I'm fine now."

"No," she stubbornly shakes her head. "It's not okay. Now I understand why none of the Resistance fighters wanted peace. It's because those monsters in the First Order don't deserve peace. They deserve to be hunted down and killed for what they've done."

Finn's forehead wrinkles with worry. "The Resistance is better than that. _You're_ better than that."

Rey scoffs. "Maybe I shouldn't be."

She's thought about it once or twice. About finding Hux and Phasma and every other person that took part in the First Order regime and making them accountable for the terrible things they've done. But she's just one person - the Resistance would never go for a plan like that - and they've scattered into seedy corners of the galaxy to live peacefully, even though they absolutely don't deserve it. So the thought always remains just that. A thought.

Finn has that troubled look on his face again, the one he had when they were outside. "Rey, I have to tell you something. It's about our marriage."

Rey isn't sure what he knows that has him so uneasy and she isn't sure she wants to find out.

He sighs deeply before continuing. "I knew who you were way before I ever met you."

"Excuse me if I sound arrogant," she says with a bit of a scoff. "But didn't most of the First Order know who I was?"

"No, I mean - a few days before the incident with Kylo, General Hux walked into my barracks and handed me a file. It was a file on you." Well. That certainly is interesting to know. "It had all sorts of information in it about you and Jakku and Luke and it was all stuff I was meant to learn so I would be more appealing to you. Hux and Snoke wanted me to gain your trust so I could..."

He trails off, eyes drifting to the sheets beneath them. Rey releases his hand, not exactly feeling too up to holding on to him at the moment.

"Finish your sentence, Finn." She says, unable to hide the increasing sense of betrayal she's feeling. "What did they want you to do?"

"It was all a set up, Rey. Snoke worked for _months_ to build up the necessary skill to effectively get inside your head. He planned for you to take out Kylo because he knew killing your own cousin would cause you to teeter between Light and Dark and he sent me to give you that final push over the edge." Finn meets her eyes again. "I'm sorry for ever going along with it, but it's just - they promised me they would tell me where my family is. I couldn't pass that up."

A heavy silence falls between them which Finn quickly attempts to fill.

"I understand if you hate me now - "

"Finn, I don't hate you." She could never hate him, she thinks. Be extremely cross with him, sure, but hate? No, she can't even fathom hating him. "They put you in an unfair position, plus you didn't really know who I was then or what we would mean to each other. I don't blame you for putting your family before me."

Rey files that away as yet another reason to hate the First Order. They put Finn in an impossible situation, dangling hope in front of him in exchange for him doing their dirty work. Gods, if she ever finds herself in the company of Hux or Snoke again...

"Why are you telling me this?" The timing of his confession _is_  a little curious. "Why spoil the plan now?"

"Because I'm afraid the plan is working." Finn says, full of worry. It wasn't at all the answer she was expecting. "I know you're good, Rey, I feel it whenever I'm around you, but sometimes - sometimes it's like you hold so much inside that you're just ready to explode at any given moment. And I get that you think that no one else should have to shoulder these burdens with you, but you can't deal with all that pain by yourself. Your instance on suffering in silence is exactly what Snoke is counting on."

He scoots closer to her, draping an arm around her shoulders. "Let me help you, Rey. Let me take some of those burdens off of you. There's nothing you could say about Jakku or about whatever wrongs you think you've done that would make me care for you any less."

Rey knows he's being sincere, that there really isn't much she could tell him that would break the bond between them, but it _would_ make him see her differently because it always does. She's aware people view her in a certain way, as the strong, capable daughter of _the_ Luke Skywalker. But the moment they learn of her past, of the things she had to go through to get where she is now, they no longer see her as strong or capable. What they show her isn't exactly pity, but it is a sort of patronizing sympathy. She wouldn't be able to handle getting that reaction from Finn.

She decides to avoid the topic all together.

"What about your family?" She asks. "They surely won't give you their whereabouts now that you've told me."

Finn frowns before quickly straightening up again. "You're my family now."

Rey sighs, because, honestly, sometimes Finn is too kind for his own good. "That's sweet, but that isn't fair to you. You deserve to know where and who you came from. Hux and Snoke can't just hold that hostage from you."

"Well it's not like I can just go demand they give it to me." He says, throwing his hands in the air.

"No," she concedes. "But I can."

Finn shakes his head in disagreement. "Like hell you can."

"Listen, Snoke has been playing a game with me this whole time. He set me up to kill Kylo, he arranged this marriage for a reason - he wants me to do... _something_ , I just don't know what. So if he wants me so bad, he'll get me. But guarantee I'm going to make _sure_ he regrets it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO first things first, I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE but this chapter fought me like it's name was conor mcgregor (thats an mma reference for those who don't understand). so that being said, i hope it isn't /too/ bad. i think its rather okay, actually.
> 
> anyhow, there's probably maybe two more chapters to this story (don't quote me on that) PLUS a little something in this 'verse from finn's pov bc given his little confession in this chapter, it'd probably be good to know how that all came about for him.
> 
> so i hope i didn't lose too many of you all in this long wait and i promise i won't make you all wait that long again! kudos/comments are always appreciated <3


	7. there's gonna be a showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rey faces snoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a heads up, there are some vague references to abuse in this chapter. nothing is described, but the little references are there. so read cautiously if that's something that bothers you!

It isn't an exaggeration to say that Finn's been frowning at her ever since last night. The only time he actually stops frowning is so he can pout. It's been a never ending cycle of frown-pout-frown-pout and Rey's just about fed up with it.

They've been camped out in her room the entire morning, mostly because they both want to avoid everyone outside the door for the time being. From the moment she woke up, Rey has been tinkering with her lightsaber - because it's been a little out of sorts since she last used it (against Kylo) and there's no way she can face Snoke with a busted 'saber - while Finn watches from his seat on the edge of his cot.

Besides his pouting and frowning and the occasional loud sigh, he's been quiet and so has she. Until now.

"Finn," he's sighed loudly for what has to be the fifteenth time in less than five minutes, which is clearly his way of asking for her attention. "Is there something you'd like to say?"

He gives a noncommittal shrug. "I won't waste my breath. You and I both know I can't stop you from going. No matter what logical reason I give you not to do this, you're too stubborn to listen."

Rey's sure that's an insult of sorts, but from him it still has a complimentary tone to it.

"I'm sorry, but my mind is made up. I'm going to go find Snoke, get the information about your family and," she pauses, because truthfully she doesn't know what she'll do after that. "And then we'll see."

Finn huffs, arms folding over his chest. "Shouldn't you at least speak to Luke before you do anything? I'm sure he has some wise fatherly Jedi Master advice to give."

Even though he can't see from how she's sitting, Rey rolls her eyes at the suggestion. "I don't need to ask because I already know he would tell me not to go."

"Exactly! Great advice! Follow it!"

"You know I can't do that, Finn. As long as Snoke is out there, we'll never really be at peace."

Finn pouts again, probably because he knows she's right.

"At least let me come with you then. I don't like the idea of you alone with him."

"No, if you come Snoke will know and he'll use you to get to me. I won't put you in harm's way."

"Right, you'll just put yourself there instead." He's upset, and rightly so. If their positions were reversed, she'd be just as concerned as he is. "Have you considered that maybe you're doing exactly what Snoke wants you to? Maybe he wants you to confront him as a part of some greater nefarious plan?"

That could be true but she doubts it. All of this only came about because Finn told her of Snoke's plan. She's certain he never counted on that happening.

"Planned or not, I need to do this. Luke told me to confront my sudden attraction to the Dark Side and that's what I'm doing."

It was never Rey's intention to upset Finn or to make him feel bad about the situation but it seems that's exactly what she's done. The dejected look on his face is killing her but she has to do this. She just wishes he could understand.

Rey stands from her desk and walks over to him, sitting close beside him, grabbing ahold of his hand in the process.

"If you go - " he wets his lips before continuing. "If you go and you don't come back, I'll never be able to forgive myself for not fighting harder to get you to stay."

"But I will come back. I promise." She brings his hand up to her lips and presses a kiss to the back of it.

Despite his best attempts not to, Finn ends up cracking the tiniest of smiles. "You're the most insane person I know. Incredibly brave, but very insane."

Rey grins as well before leaning over to peck him on the cheek. "Luke always said you have to be a little crazy to want to be a Jedi!"

“Alright crazy Jedi,” Finn chuckles and she’s glad to see him in somewhat of good spirits again. “Since you’re so hellbent on carrying out this plan of yours, mind telling me about it? I was known as quite the tactician in my First Order days. Maybe I could help you iron out any unforeseen wrinkles.”

So Rey tells him everything she intends on doing and he actually does help her work out a few kinks she didn’t even realize were there. Afterwards, Finn walks her to the Falcon - the two of them doing their best not to cross paths with anyone – and tries one last time to get her to change her mind. It doesn’t work.

Finn finally resigns, realizing just how fixed on finding Snoke she is, and says his ‘ _see you later_ ’s. He makes her promise (again) to return and kisses her until he’s red in the face. If anything, everything he’s done has only strengthened her determination to do her best to not just come back, but to come back _to him_.

-

Of course when she arrives on the deserted planet Snoke’s made his base, he’s waiting expectantly for her. The satisfied sneer on his face is unsettling and Finn's warning that she's doing exactly what Snoke wants reverberates in her head.

Still, she's intent on confronting him. She's already come to the conclusion that if there truly is to be peace in the galaxy, Emperor Snoke cannot continue living.

"Well, you've arrived greatly ahead of schedule." He says, thins lips curling into what she assumes is a smile. "FN-2187 told you about his mission, didn't he? I could see from the moment the two of you were in a room together that he was utterly taken by you. I knew it was only a matter of time before he blabbed."

"Yes, he told me everything.” Rey adjusts the grip she has on her lightsaber before approaching him. Even though she’s trying her hardest not to, she’s finding it hard to get her hands not to shake. “Setting up your own apprentice to be killed? That's low, even for you."

"Ben Solo was weak. Where he failed, Rey Skywalker will not."

It hits her slower than maybe it should have but now Rey realizes his endgame. He wants her on the Dark Side so she can be everything her cousin wasn't: a successful protégé.

Snoke clicks his tongue and begins to pace in front of her. "I _am_ disappointed by the little show you put on out there. You come at me with such vitriol, killing half of my guards, injuring the other half, and destroying my base, when you really should be thanking me. I gave you FN-2187. I handed you the chance at your very own family on a silver platter."

"So you _did_ know we were soulmates."

Snoke hesitates, the first sign of falter since she began speaking to him. His thin lips slowly curl up into a sneer. "No, I certainly did not know that. I'll chalk that revelation up to sheer dumb luck."

He suddenly looks contemplative, like he’s reworking his entire grand scheme in his head.

"Tell me, how is it to have a soulmate? I've read about the Force bond and all of that, but how does the power feel? It's stronger when you're around him, yes?" Rey doesn’t have the chance to answer – as if she even would – before he’s asking yet another set of questions. "Oh, and the pull! The pull to the Dark must feel greater because you're anxious to protect to him, to keep him safe from all threats, right?"

"The only threat to Finn's safety is you." She reminds him, pointedly ignoring all of his (sadly correct) assumptions.

"Trust me when I say I won't ever touch a hair on that boy's head. Not anymore." Snoke eyes her, looking well and truly frightened for the quickest of seconds. Good, she thinks. If he knows she'll do anything to protect Finn, he'd be wise not to try anything. "But out of curiosity, what do you think your father will do when he finds out about FN's mission?"

"He'll understand." Rey tries her best to sound sure, but honestly, she doesn’t know what Luke’s reaction will be. "Once we explain what you _forced_ him to do, he'll understand."

Snoke forces a laugh. "This is the same man that left you on a dreadful, dangerous planet all by yourself as a child to protect the galaxy from you. Do you really think he'd still allow FN to be a part of your little patchwork family, let alone stay married to you?"

"He wasn't - " Rey blinks in an attempt to gather her thoughts. Whatever Snoke is trying to do, she feels it. Her thoughts are getting jumbled, she isn't remembering things quite the way she always has - he's playing some sort of mind game and she's starting to fall prey to it. "He left me on Jakku to protect me from you."

"Is that what he told you?" Snoke clicks his tongue.

Rey hesitates for a moment. "It's the truth."

"If that were true, why couldn't he just protect you from me himself? He _is_ an incredibly powerful Jedi, right? Why did you need to suffer to be saved from me?"

It makes sense but - _no_. No, no, no. Snoke's lying, trying to confuse her and skew her perception of things. She cannot allow him to do this. She _will_ _not_ allow him to do this.

"I know about them, Rey." She doesn't know when he walked behind her, but he's there now, hands falling gently on her shoulders. "The particularly horrible men that also called Jakku their home. The men you won't even speak of."

No, no, no, _no_ \- he can't know about that, about _them_.

"What kind of father just willingly leaves his daughter around such despicable men?"

Yes, what kind of father does that? Why didn't Luke try harder to protect her himself? She's sure there were ways to keep her out of Snoke's reach and firmly in Luke's. Instead he just left her at the mercy of vile, disgusting men who -

Rey wipes at the hot tears trickling down her cheeks. She is _so_ sick of crying over her past, especially considering she didn't have to experience any of it. She could have been a normal, happy child and lived a normal, happy life but -

"Luke took that from me." She mutters inwardly, but judging by Snoke's soft chuckle, he hears it.

"Yes, because of Luke you experienced things that will never leave you." His breath tickles her ear as he leans down to whisper. "Luke is the cause of all the pain you have ever felt."

Snoke is right - no, wait. No, he isn't. Or is he? He makes some valid points, things Rey's only ever thought about maybe once before quickly dismissing them. Has she just been making excuses for Luke this whole time? Yes, he thought he was doing what was best, but did he ever consider how abandoning her would affect her? Was he even really trying to protect her or the galaxy? Has he been lying to her this entire time?

"Let go, Rey." He whispers in her ear. "Allow yourself to finally feel all that hurt and rage."

She doesn’t want to - anger and hurt are paths towards to the Dark and she cannot allow herself to give in to it – but she feels her ability to fight against it slowly slipping. She tries to think of her cousin, of what happened to him because of the Dark but – but she’s much stronger than Ben ever was. He allowed himself to be consumed by it; he never truly used it, _it_ used _him._ Rey won’t let the Dark control her like that. She can use it to her advantage, use the strength to protect her loved ones.

So she gives in.

Finally allowing herself to be angry - well and truly angry - at Luke and just about everything else is downright intoxicating. The only other time Rey's felt this... _free_ was when she stabbed her lightsaber through her cousin's heart. That time she stamped it down as quickly as she felt it, though. But letting it flow through her, to let hate run through her veins as if it were the thing responsible for keeping her alive, feels...liberating.

Snoke smiles, wide and satisfied. Rey's too busy settling in to this new sense of dark calm around her to care.

“Rey, together we can help foster a galaxy where no little girl or boy has to go through what you went through. We can stop people like Luke from getting to make life decisions for those who can’t make them for themselves. You and I, we can – “ The bright grin he wore falls as quickly as his words do. Whatever he’s just sensed, she senses it too. The two of them both turn towards the entrance to the room. She doesn’t know if Snoke can sense exactly who’s storming through the door, but she can.

“Finn?” Just as his name leaves her mouth, he comes barreling in straight towards her. “Finn, what are you doing – “

His arms are around her before she can get out the rest of her question. He’s holding on to her tight, as if she might float away if he doesn’t.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t follow you?” He asks with a soft chuckle.

It’s a sweet gesture and Rey appreciates it – kind of; he’s put himself in Snoke’s crosshairs now and she is _not_ happy about that – but it was still a stupid thing of him to do.

Snoke clears his throat, causing Finn to let her go, his hand still gripped protectively around hers.

“As lovely as this little reunion is,” he starts, eyes narrowing in the direction of the door. “Mind telling me what _he_ has to do with it?”

Rey is slightly ashamed she didn’t feel Luke’s presence as strongly as she felt Finn’s. Perhaps it has something to do with all of these newfound feelings of indignation towards him.

“Why’d you bring him?” She asks Finn, who’s currently staring Snoke down.

“Because he was worried about you, Rey.” Luke answers. “We both were, and clearly we had every right to be.”

Rey sidesteps Finn in order to ‘greet’ her father. “Worried that I might get hurt or that I’d finally step over to the Dark?”

His lips press into a hard line and he looks as if he knows everything Snoke’s said to her during their conversation. “Whatever he’s told you, it isn’t true. He’s feeding you things that the darkest parts of you want to hear. He’s manipulating the flaws of our relationship in order to get what he wants.”

Snoke laughs from behind them. “I only told the girl the truth. Which is that your decision to abandon your own daughter was a purely selfish one – “

“You know _nothing_ about why I did what I did.” Rey has _never_ seen Luke this upset. Even when they were in the heat of battle, he was still calm as could be. To see Snoke get under his skin like this is worrisome.

“Neither do I.” She says, taking a step closer towards him. “All this time you’ve never told me exactly why you did what you did, only that at the time you thought you were doing what was right. So tell me, father. Tell me why you left me alone.”

Luke’s eyes gloss over and just as she’s never seen him angry, she’s never seen him cry either, but he looks ready to do so. Right when his opens his mouth, Snoke groans loudly, igniting the lightsaber Rey didn’t even know he had.

“Don’t say another word, Skywalker.” He points the glowing red light at Luke, a tired look on his face, and then turns to Rey. “Whatever lies he was about to tell you are irrelevant. You and I can still make the galaxy a better place, but in order to do that you have to _fully_ commit yourself to me.”

Not for the first time, Rey feels conflicted.

The new part of her – this dark, uncaring part – wants to pledge herself to Snoke. That part of her doesn’t care what Luke has to say because _nothing_ seems an understandable reason for abandoning her like he did. He’s her _father_ , for force’s sake. He’s supposed to love and protect her yet in her twenty-two years of being alive, she hasn’t gotten nearly enough of it from him. The occasional hug or word of encouragement doesn’t make up for the fourteen years she spent fending for herself on Jakku.

But then there’s the old part of her - the _good_ part people are always going on about – that, truthfully, still doesn’t care what Luke has to say because, frankly, it doesn’t matter. Yes, he might have made some mistakes but so has she. For better or worse, Jakku made her who she is and she rather _likes_ who she is. Plus she learned a long time ago that there was no use in dwelling on the past. The best thing she can do for her and Luke’s relationship is to just move on.

Now, if she could only decide which part actually reflects what she truly believes.

“Well, I can see you’re having some trouble coming to the correct conclusion so let me make things easier for you.” With the simple flick of his wrist, Snoke somehow _drags_ Finn away from her side and into his, the blade of his lightsaber at his throat. Another flick and the onrushing Luke is stopped in his tracks, his limp body falling to the ground. When Rey flinches, Snoke simply shakes a bony finger at her. “FN-2187 is still _my_ _property_. Where I go, he goes, so if you want to be with him, you’ll have to be with me.”

Finn – stupidly foolish brave Finn – shakes his head. “Don’t do it, Rey. It isn’t worth it.”

She rolls her eyes because, yes it is. _He_ is worth it. She looks down at her lightsaber in her hand, weighing the pros and cons of drawing against him.

“You may be stronger because of your soulmate, but you still aren’t as powerful as I am, Rey.” Snoke smirks. “Best not to get into a fight you can’t win.”

He’s right. Even though she’s stronger now because of her connection to Finn and because of the Dark influencing her, she still wouldn’t be able to defeat Snoke. She would be dead before her first swing.

“Okay.” She mutters softly. “You have me. I’ll join you.”

Snoke absolutely _beams_. “See? Was that so hard?”

He disengages his lightsaber, releasing Finn in the process. He promptly runs over to her, grabbing her face in his hands.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” He whispers, leaning his forehead against hers. She presses her lips against his, smiling slightly at the words that are itching to find their way out of her.

“I love you, Finn.” She says once she pulls away. She’s always searched for the right word to describe what she feels for him and she’s finally found it; love.

A look of confusion crosses Finn’s face as she walks past him and towards Snoke.

Light, Dark, none of it matters, not really. She thinks if people weren’t so caught up in it all, maybe they would make better choices. If Luke hadn’t been so hung up on trying to prevent something that probably never would have happened, he wouldn’t have made the mistake he did. And if Snoke weren’t so determined to keep the Dark Side alive and well with a new protégé, he wouldn’t have made the mistake _he_ just did.

Rey would think Snoke, of all people, wouldn’t be stupid enough to threaten her soulmate in front of her.

There’s so much adrenaline flowing through her that her next few actions all happen so quickly, its something of a blur. As soon as she’s the proper distance away, she draws her lightsaber, swinging at Snoke before he can draw his own. She gets in one, possibly two, good strikes in before she feels Snoke’s saber singe against her chest. He leaves her no time to reel from the pain of the blow before she finds herself off of the ground and flying towards the back wall of the room.

Rey thinks she hears what sounds like Finn screaming – she _never_ wants to hear that again – before her eyes fall shut and everything goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> told you guys i wouldn't make you wait a stupidly long time again ;) SO ONE MORE CHAPTER (maybe) LEFT! this one felt kinda hectic but i hope it wasn't too bad. let me know what you guys think!!! :))


	8. come around sundown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things have shifted in the galaxy. it may take some getting used to.

When Rey wakes up, she's sure of two things: one, that it has to be some small miracle she isn't dead and two, her head really, _really_ hurts. As does pretty much every other part of her body.

Her eyes have barely opened before she feels a strong hand gently gripping her forearm.

"Hey, love," Finn coos from beside her. She tries to turn her head to see him and let's out a little groan at the pain that shoots through her neck as she does. "Take it easy, okay? I'm right here."

Rey (very slowly) turns to him and blinks a few times before speaking. "Did you just call me ' _love_ '?"

Finn laughs, teary eyed and smiling all at the same time. "Of all the questions for you to ask."

"Sorry, it's just you've never called me by an affectionate nickname before. Had I known all I had to do was get tossed halfway across a room headfirst into a wall to get you to do so, I would've done it sooner." Rey is fairly certain the IV in her arm pumping her full of wonderful painkillers is the only thing allowing her to speak so cavalierly about her near death experience.

Finn's hand slides down to hers, his thumb gently grazing her knuckles.

He looks tired. Happy, but very tired. She wonders how long she's been out. Judging by the subtle stubble peppering his jawline, she estimates it had to be at least a few days. She also wonders if he's sat at her bedside the entire time.

"You were out for four days." He says, answering the question she didn't yet ask. His head falls, his smile falling as well. "Worst four days of my life."

Rey wants to touch him, to caress his face and let him know that she's awake and she's alive and that those four days are far, far behind them, but she seems to be having trouble lifting her arm.

Her struggle must show on her face because Finn softly shakes his head, his hand coming up to smooth her hair. It's then she notices he's only been using one arm this whole time.

"What happened to your other arm?" She asks. His left bicep is heavily bandaged, as is the part of his body where his neck meets his shoulder. There's also a square of gauze on his chest peaking out from beneath the collar of his shirt. Whatever happened after she blacked out clearly involved him getting into a fight of some sort.

Finn ducks his head sheepishly. Somehow, Rey suddenly knows exactly what happened to his arm without him having to say a word.

"You fought Snoke." He nods and if she weren't currently hooked up to several different machines, she would definitely hit him. "What in the _force_ were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about you! When Snoke threw you against that wall - " he chokes a bit on his words, looking away as he does. "I thought I lost you and I was just so angry that I picked up your lightsaber and went after him."

Rey smiles slightly, the mention of him using her lightsaber not lost on her. "You used my lightsaber?"

"Very effectively, I might add." He beams.

Gods, she loves this boy so much it's ridiculous.

"Well," she tries to move but the pain coming from her battered ribcage tells her that's a bad idea. "At least he'll rot in a cell now, even if he deserves much worse."

Finn grabs her hand again, and she knows him well enough to know he's about to deliver some difficult news.

"Oh don't tell me he somehow got away," The thought of Snoke escaping is enough to make her want to ignore every injury she has just to track him down all over again.

"No, he didn't," he shakes his head. "He's actually - I killed him."

Rey's mouth goes completely slack. "You did _what_?"

"Besides the fact that I was sure that he took you from me, he's been the cause of all of this. He's ruined so many lives, I had to do something to stop him."

Finn - former Stormtrooper with a heart seemingly too big for his chest - took down the all powerful Emperor Snoke. There isn't enough words to describe how proud Rey is of him.

"Rey," he laughs out her name, his thumb coming up to wipe away the tear running down her cheek. "Why are you crying?"

She pouts. "Because I really want to kiss you right now but my stupid body hurts too much."

He grins before leaning over and gently pressing his lips against hers. As much as she enjoys it, even kissing hurts. She has _got_ to get better as quickly as possible.

"I love you too, by the way," he says and of all the things she remembers, she definitely remembers saying those words to him just before she went after Snoke. "So, so very much."

Rey isn't sure if it's because of her injuries or because of him, but she can definitely feel her heart thumping rapidly in her chest. "Ugh, I was never this sappy before I met you."

Finn laughs again, loud and carefree. It's music to her ears. "I'll consider that a compliment!"

"It isn't one, though." She teases. He just pokes his tongue out at her.

When she tries to move again, she winces at the sharp pain in her lower back. Snoke really did a number on her.

"You should get some rest." Finn says, gently stroking her hair again. It's a good suggestion, one she should probably heed, but in all honestly she's a little afraid to. This moment - minus all her aches and pains - feels perfect, almost like its a dream scenario she's thought up in her head. She would hate to close her eyes only to open them and not have him by her side.

Finn presses a button on the side of her bed and in an instant she feels much, much better. He must have given her a little more something for the pain via her IV.

He leans over and kisses her forehead. "I'll be here when you wake up, love. Promise."

Rey nods, eyelids feeling too heavy to keep open. "'M so glad you're my soulmate."

And Finn's bright smile is the last thing she sees before her world goes black again.

-

The next time Rey wakes up, Finn isn't there and to say she panics is an understatement.

The various machines she's hooked up to all start beeping and screeching the more frantic she becomes. She ignores every dull ache in her body to search the room for him. It's only when Luke rushes over to her that she (sort of) calms down.

"Rey, calm down, sweetie," he soothes, hands gently guiding her shoulders back down against the bed. "Finn is fine, he's just getting some lunch. He'll be back in a bit."

Her hand goes up to her chest absentmindedly. She can still feel the bond, which is a good thing. It means Finn is definitely alive and well. Good.

Now that she's sure Finn is okay, Rey actually takes a moment to process that Luke is actually standing before her. The last time she saw him he had just been dropped by Snoke. She never really thought he was dead, but he looks oddly spritely, all things considered.

"You're still alive." She says with a grin.

He smiles, small and slight. "Worse men than Emperor Snoke have tried to kill me and it hasn't worked yet."

There's something different about him. He seems lighter, like he isn't carrying the weight of the galaxy with him anymore. It's nice.

"I'm glad you're okay." And she absolutely means it. She may have been rather cross with him the last time they spoke but he's still her father; it would be a terrible thing if he were taken from her.

Luke sits in the chair near her bed, his hand covering her own.

"How are you feeling?" He asks with a tight lipped smile.

Rey shrugs. "Physically, terrible. My whole body feels like I got attacked by a pack of Rathtars. Mentally," she pauses. "I know it isn't what you wanna hear but, I still feel the Dark. Not as strongly as I did before but it's still there, like it's buzzing underneath my skin."

"I'm afraid it's always going to be there." Luke frowns deeply. "But that's okay. As long as you have balance within yourself, you'll be fine."

For a moment Rey wonders if the real Luke was somehow replaced by this weirdly serene and composed version sitting beside her. Never in a million years did she think he would be so relaxed about her (brief) venture to the Dark Side.

"Thanks to everything that's happened - and a pretty stern talking to from Leia - I've realized I have been being so obtuse about things. I was so concerned with keeping you away from the Dark, I never even bothered to simply talk with you about what was troubling you." He lowers his head rather shamefully. "I was being more of a Jedi Master than a father and I'm sorry for that. I won't let it happen again."

Rey feels a slew of things about what happened with Snoke. Embarrassed, ashamed, and extremely remorseful, just to name a few. Though if the situation has reiterated anything for her, it's that dwelling in the past will do absolutely nothing to ensure a better future. They've both made mistakes but nothing they do now will be able to fix them. All they can do is move forward and try to make things better.

"I say we concentrate on making our relationship stronger from here on out." She gives him a wry smile. "I may even start calling you ' _dad_ '."

"I think I'd like that." Luke laughs and Rey thinks it's a sound she could get use to. "Now, is this the part where we hug?"

"I believe it is. Just, be careful. My body is, like, fifty-percent bruise right now."

Luke nods and leans over to (gently) wrap his arms around her as best he can. The hug is warm and comforting and feels like home. Just as he's pulling away, Finn appears in the doorway, a bottle of water tucked underneath his arm and an small bowl in his hand.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." He says and starts to turn back to walk out of them room. "I can give you guys another minute if you need it?"

Luke laughs lightly, shaking his head. "No, no. Come on in, Finn."

Finn comes back inside, pulling up a chair on the side of Rey's bed opposite Luke. He offers her the water bottle with a grin and tips the bowl slightly to show her what's inside. It's her favorite: the juicy purple fruit with the name she always has trouble pronouncing.

"I figured you would want to eat something."

Rey doesn't miss the way Luke watches the two of them with a hint of a smile on his lips. She's never gotten this before, to have the two most important men in her life in the same room with her for a reason other than discussing matters of politics and such. It's quite pleasant.

"You know, Finn," Luke's chair creaks slightly as he leans back, hands folding over his middle. "Every time you and I have spoken it's always been about arranged marriages or matters of the Force, you know, things like that. You and I have never gotten the chance to talk about something way more important than all of that. Your intentions with my daughter."

That...was not where Rey was expecting that conversation topic to go. Finn coughs, choking on the fruit he's taken from Rey's bowl. She wonders if there's some sort of button she can press to get the nurses in here and Luke out as quickly as possible.

"I'm not totally blind to what's going on between the two of you. You sat by her bedside this whole time and now you're bringing her one of her favorite foods - things are clearly serious here." Luke leans forward, a menacing (at least she thinks it's meant to be menacing?) eyebrow cocked at Finn. "But just know, I see everything."

Finn leans over towards her and not-so-quietly whispers, "Rey, your dad is scaring me."

Luke breaks out into a satisfied looking grin before standing from his chair. "Well, since Finn's back now, I guess I'll be going. Give you kids some time to yourselves."

When he reaches the door, he turns, making a show of taking two fingers and pointing from his eyes then over to the two of them.

"Just remember," he says. " _Everything_."

Rey isn't sure if she should be amused or horrified.

When the door slides shut behind him, Finn doubles over in laughter. Clearly he was amused by all of that. Whatever  _that_ even was.

"He's _a lot_ more fun when there's no war tearing the galaxy apart!"

"Yeah," she nods. "I've noticed that. I have yet to decide if it's a good or bad thing, though."

Finn wipes at his eyes before pulling his handheld datapad from his pocket. He swipes across the screen a few times before holding the device close to his chest, as if to hide what he's pulled up.

"So Leia told me - by the way, your aunt is letting me call her that now which is kind of awesome - that everyone was going to have to evacuate the base in the next couple of days which obviously had me worried because we have no where to go. So naturally I started looking and," he turns the datapad toward her, letting her see the modest looking home. "It's on Corellia. I figured that would be a good place to settle since it's pretty green there, and that's something you mentioned liking once so, yeah."

When she was on Jakku, despite her best attempts not to, Rey always assumed she would live alone. Then Poe and BB-8 showed up in her life and the next thing she knew, she was either housed on a planet training with Luke or living with a base full of soldiers. She never really thought she'd have an option outside of that.

"You want to live together? Like, with me? Alone?" It's a stupid thing to ask, because obviously he does. If he didn't he wouldn't have gone through all this trouble, but Rey would still like to make sure.

"Ideally, yeah." He suddenly looks very serious and very worried. "Why, do you not want to?"

"No!" Rey sits up a bit straighter, despite the dull ache she feels in her lower back as she does. "No, I _do_ want to live with you it's just, I've never lived with anyone that wasn't my father or a bunch of pilots."

"And I've never lived with anyone that wasn't a Stormtrooper, so the experience will be new for the both of us."

There's going to be a lot of that now, Rey figures. A lot of the two of them experiencing new things together. The thought reminds her of that evening on Ach-To, when she first allowed herself to imagine a life with Finn. Back then it seemed somewhat unattainable; now it seems a pleasant certainty.

"But we can wait until you're at least unhooked from some of these machines before deciding anything. In the meantime though," Finn stands and squeezes himself beside her in the small bed. "I downloaded a ton of holofilms for us to watch until the nurses come in and kick me out."

Rey finds his hand and threads their fingers together, placing them on top of her lap. She snuggles closer to him as he starts the first film, feeling a swell of affection for this lovely boy she has the pleasure of calling her soulmate.

-

Despite the clean bill of health Rey gets when she's discharged from the medbay, Finn still does a fair amount of fussing over her.

He makes sure she takes the medicine prescribed to her to help her still ailing ribs heal faster, watches her carefully when she resumes (very light!) training with Luke and even refuses to let her help him when they move into their new home.

"Finn, seriously," Rey huffs, standing inside of their bare living room. "It's been weeks! I'm fine, now let me help."

Finn nearly trips as he lugs in a box labeled _SPARES -_  as in all of the spare parts Rey keeps lying around just in case she one day needs them - which only serves as further proof that he needs her help.

"No, no," he shakes his head, huffing and puffing as he does. "It's okay. That was the heaviest box we had. Everything else should be a breeze."

Rey walks up to him, deciding to try another tactic before he ends up hurting himself trying to do all this alone.

"Finn," she wraps her arms around his neck, batting her eyelashes in the way she knows gets to him. "I swear to you that there is not a single part of me that is in any sort of pain. I appreciate the concern, but stop being so stubborn and just let me help."

"Sorry," Finn sighs. "I don't mean to be so overprotective, it's just I don't wanna see you hurt again."

"I totally understand and I love you for it. I mean it." She bounces up on the tips of her toes to give him a quick kiss on the forehead. She's just about to go out to grab one of the many boxes they still have to move in, when something else occurs to her. "And you know, this might be easier for you if you took off your training robes."

Before they left D'Qar, Luke approached Finn about continuing his Jedi training under him. He was hesitant about it at first, but with a little convincing from Rey, he agreed to it. It was nice being able to train along side him. Finn was strong, quick, and picked up on Luke's teachings just as fast, if not faster than she ever did. He was going to make quite the Jedi.

Now if only Rey could get him to take off the robes, at least for this one task.

"Rey," Finn scoffs, pausing to fix his hands on his hips. "I _just_ got these. There is zero chance that I'm taking them off. Ever."

She lifts an eyebrow, sending him a coy glance. "Not even for me?"

His mouth falls into a little 'o'-shape and, honestly, her husband has to be the cutest man in the entire galaxy. Hands down.

"I guess I could be persuaded." He says, hands grabbing the lapels of his robe, just barely starting to remove them.

"Well the quicker we finish moving in, the quicker I can try and, you know, _persuade you_."

Finn takes off, suddenly finding a bit of extra motivation to get all of their things moved in.

They finish in less than an hour and Rey makes good on her promise of persuasion.

-

Shortly after Finn becomes a full fledged Jedi, he and Rey get married again. This time, they have a proper ceremony.

Poe officiates - because that's something he can apparently do - and BB-8 rolls in carrying their new rings and Leia gives a beautiful speech and Luke actually _dances_ at the reception and it's all just so _kriffing_ perfect.

Later that night, when they're lying in bed and Finn's stroking her hair in that way that always makes her drift off to sleep, Rey wonders for a moment if this could all be some blissful dream she's due to wake up from any minute now.

"Not a dream, love," Finn whispers against her hair, answering the question she pondered in her head. "This is all very real."

Rey reaches up, her hand landing on his chest just over his heart. She likes to do this, to feel his heartbeat, strong and steady, thumping against her hand. It serves to remind her that he's here and he's alive and he's _hers_.

"Do you ever think about how far we've come?" Finn asks in a low voice.

"Sometimes."

"I'd say we turned out pretty well for a scavenger and a Stromtrooper. I mean we're married and we're both Jedi and now," he shifts, his hand resting on her stomach. Rey doesn't even need to look at him to now that proud look he's been wearing ever since she told him the news has made a reappearance. "We're going to be _parents_. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think my life would turn out like this."

There's a flutter low in her belly and Rey doesn't know if it's because of the way Finn's entire face lights up as he eyes her growing bump, or if it's actually the baby, but either way it brings a smile to her lips.

The thought of the two of them having a child is as terrifying as it is exciting. They'll be great parents, Rey is sure of it, but still. This is an entire _new life_ they've created, that they're responsible for. There were so many things that could go wrong, what if they're not at all ready for this?

 _We'll be fine, Rey_ , Finn's voice rings through her head. She swats at his chest playfully, coaxing a chuckle from him.

"Get out of my head, Finn. Let me worry in peace."

"There's no need for you to worry, though." Finn props himself up on his elbow to better look at her. "We've both overcome shitty childhoods, an evil murderous Emperor, we've _mastered the Force_ \- I'm pretty sure we can handle a kid. And even if we struggle, we have a ton of people we can call on for help. So like I said, we'll be fine."

Finn sure does have a knack for that, for saying just the right things right when she needs to hear them.

"Have I told you how happy I am you're my husband?"

"Yeah, I think you've mentioned it a few times." He grins before leaning down and giving her one of those deep, toe-curling kisses he's so good at.

Just as his hand finds its way to rest on her hip, a thought crosses her mind and she pulls away from him, much to his dismay.

"Oh! I almost forgot to give you your wedding present!" Rey hops out of bed and quickly goes to retrieve a part of the 'gift' she got for him. When she returns to their room with a bag of marshmallows, Finn's eyes go big, knowing what the whole present must be.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asks, already getting out of bed.

"I figured there's no better way for us to celebrate getting married - _again_ \- than to toast some marshmallows."

Finn takes her face in his hands, quickly pressing his lips against her forehead.

"I love you so much!" He grabs her by the hand and starts leading her into their kitchen. "Now, let's go toast us some of these crazy delicious little suckers!"

And as strange as it sounds, Rey can't help but feel an odd sort of gratitude towards Snoke. If it weren't for him and his nefarious plan, she would have never met her ridiculously amazing soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO IM SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO POST THIS but, boy, finishing this was like pulling teeth. anyway, when i started this fic i had a totally different direction in mind, but hey. this is where we ended up and i am forcing myself to be happy with it so i hope all of you are pleased with it as well!! i have some little spinoff ficlets i wanna do (because i actually didn't touch on nearly all that i wanted to in this 'verse) so maybe i'll get to those one day.
> 
> BUT ANYHOW, THANKS FOR GOING ON THIS RIDE WITH ME! LOVE Y'ALL TO PIECES!!!!
> 
> kudos/comments are always dearly appreciated!!!


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